(I am cable-free. I must wait impatiently for it to be available online. It's sad when one of the exciting things about going on vacation and staying in a hotel is getting to see your favorite shows when they actually air.)
i want to live in leverageworld so that when the big bad destroys the evidence covers it up lies and finally resorts to character assassination *nate will come up with a plan* *sophie will finesse her way in* *parker will get the goods* *elliot will protect them all* *and hardison will digitally record it*
who knew that doing the right thing could cost so much money time energy friends happiness
so tell me hardison if i disguise my ip and post anonymously is that good enough? because i'm really not. supposed. to be. talking. to anybody.
That was...twisted. Twisted and excellent and possibly my favorite episode so far this season. Good gravy, as soon as I think I can live without Leverage, you guys go do something like this one.
I'm guessing we won't get any more details about Nate Ford's past -- he's his mother's son, eh? THERE is some space for speculation.
I can't think of a question right now, except, really -- what was Elliot smiling about? Comment -- more Sophie with Parker! They are such a COOL pairing!
OH! Question -- how did you guys fake the crowbar to the head thing? I mean, was it a fake crowbar, a feint, CG, a fake skull on Christian Kane, or is his head really that hard? I felt it!
I may have missed this due to the fact that I was slightly distracted, but - what happened to the ledger? Did Jimmy Ford just hop on the boat with it in his pocket and the cops never saw the evidence again?
Loved it! I love Parker and Eliot as a team. The crowbar was great! I thought Hardison in the evidence locker was hilarious. And the way everyone looks at Parker when she tells them about the banks' security was wonderful.
Last but not least I love Tom Skerritt. Do you think we will see him again? Because that would be awesome.
Nice ep tonight - the way the con mapped out was just awesome. Loved the way you guys used the three card monte flashback to build up to the moment where Nate realized that Jimmy was after the precinct and then the extra twist with Jimmy really going after the ledger. That is leverage-y goodness!
Lots of great little moments too -Eliot vs. crowbar, Parker and Nate by the airshaft, Hardison thinking he's going down, Parker knowing everything about the banks, Sophie getting all daffy about trying to speak Russian - all awesome.
One of the best parts, though, was that in an ep that highlighted Nate's fractured relationship with his dad, you could really feel the family dynamic in the team in little subtle ways - the bickering at times, and that moment where Eliot called Nate out for getting mad at Sophie was so like an older son standing up for Mom. And yet they worked so seemlessly together on the fly, as the plan kept changing and they left the docks together at the end.
Tom Skerritt was very good, too - I actually felt really bad for him in the end when he was trying to phone the three families. Casting gets an A+ this season.
I liked how Hardison got the reason right for the third red phone, if not the particulars. He really is coming along, isn't he?
When Jimmy was talking about his wife, I wonder if Nate was thinking about Sophie . . . the parallel is perfect. Especially since, as you've said before, Nate isn't a nice guy.
I love, love, love that you're using so much more of Portland streets in these episodes. I actually knew where you had Nate and Sophie walking (Adler) because when I was there for ConCon.
They turned the corner to look at McRory's and I'm hoping that this'll get answered in an earlier Post-Game that I asked about the exteriors, but man tonight? That's got to be a physical location that's somewhere in Portland unless you guys really expanded that set. It looked FANTASTIC with that long hallway. I'm hoping it's a practical location though - I just want to know WHERE. Google Street View shows some other building where they're looking, but I know that could be years old and the way things change downtown...
Anyone in Portland want to help me out? It's Adler/Morrison/14th-16th street area. I *think* based on where Sophie and Nate were walking.
Loved Popodokolous' (sp) return. He was one of my favorites from past episodes. I had my doubts about Tom Skerritt as Nate's dad, but he was perfection. Seeing the dynamics between father and son explained a lot about why Nate's relationships with others can be so dysfunctional. I get the feeling Daddy Dearest won't be staying in Ireland permanently? I couldn't believe Nate trusted him to actually board the ship and sail off into the sunset without the team witnessing his departure. Season 3 has been awesome so far. Belated congrats to all on a renewal for Season 4.
Oh my...I just want to...I am not sure....I am so frazzled by Parker. On the spot, giggles, details, specs and probably an itemized list of what is in every vault in a 3 county area. LOVE to Beth, the people who write for her, awesomesauce to the extreme!
So when Hardison was talking about blowing a hole in the wall and Spidey-crawling out, is that actually an option? Seems like something the team would have planned after what happened to their last headquarters.
This isn't a question quite so much as a plea: do whatever you can to get the current season back on Netflix Watch Instantly, please? I don't have TNT on my television, and Flash-based internet viewing does not play well with either of the console-based web browsers I have hooked to my TV--I've tried with both (and watching TV on a computer screen just doesn't work too well for more than one person--my wife and I watch this show together). I promise I'll buy the DVDs when it comes out (already have season 1, and will get 2 before long), but that'll be ages off in the future. Even if there's a delay of a few days, I wouldn't mind!
There were bits that seemed easy, like the coffee guy doping people. And when you showed everything the police confiscated from the Russians, I figured they'd want their stuff back. But I'm just happy to ride the fun train until all the pieces come together.
I'm loving the reveals with the crew, or the bad guys, or whoever. It's like they suddenly appeared out of thin air. Y'all have used that really well this season, tonight included. My other favorite time was on Inside Job, when Parker runs into a room and the camera turns to show us the bad guy, who magically appeared just after Parker disappeared. Are the actors there the whole time, or do they run into scene while the camera is turned the other way?
Did Nate just leave a pistol with his prints all over it in the Organized Crime office? Because it was still on the table as he was headed to the air shaft.
Okay, so I just skipped first viewing of Mad Men to re-watch. There were a couple of little hitches, but the good stuff was so good, all the other stuff was very minor and nitpicky.
A few questions:
1) Beth totally almost cracked up in that scene where Parker and Eliot are sneaking up the warehouse. Parker is looking around furtively, looks offscreen, and a little smile appears that is quickly supressed. Do other cast members just stand offscreen making faces? (cause I could totally see this cast screwing with each other that way.)
2) The three Irish mob families probably have a fair amount of international ties. Do we see any of those names popping up later on. For instance, in connection with a big crime financier?
Oh, and one other thing: my impression is that sending a guy back to the old country is not exactly a way to avoid the attention of the Boston mob. Since the rest of the team didn't know that part of the plan, he presumably doesn't have a new identity yet (at least not to Hardison's standards), and even if it's done before he gets off the boat, he's going to have to lay really low to avoid everyone who would recognize him.
To the poster above about Nate's dad talking about his mom:
Actually, its different. Nate's mom wasn't a crook. Sofie is a crook. She and Nate do understand each other, which is where Nate and his father differ.
Davies and Moffat? Someone is going to catch unto Hardison's alias work one of these days. I am waiting for the day Hardison uses the aliases Waid and Rogers. Or Daniel Hartigan and Maximilian Daring. Can we please have an episode where Elliot uses Monkey Kung Fu? Or at least beat someone up who uses that.
Great episode! Question though...the McTeague family mentioned in the episode, is that the same McTeague family who ran the McTeague Capital Investments in LA that Jack Hurley worked at in The 12-Step Job?
I think this is an episode that requires multiple viewings. That's a good thing.
It was interesting how Nate's voice changed when he was around his dad - different, too, when he was around both his dad and the Russians. Nicely done, Mr Hutton.
In fact, I really enjoyed all of our regulars in this episode - the acting and the writing just seemed spot on. I'd definitely point people to this episode to give them a solid feel for who each of the characters are.
My question: You seem to have a long list of excellent actors who want to be on your show - so, basically, what was the thought process/casting process that lead you to Tom Skerritt as Jimmy Ford?
Thanks again for another great episode - and for answering all our questions week after week!
Did Kane style his hair with a piece of broken glass? Elliot with another cheap strike to the groin, and please tell me that was a choke hold and not a tea-bagging! Eeeeew! Other than that moment of utter creepyness, loved the show. I am amazed how every week you and your crew pull off high quality entertainment on such a tight schedule Bravo! And thank you !
Wow. Tom Skerritt. I've always loved that guy, and he just fit right in here. I agree with whoever gave your casting dept an A+ for the season. I mean, Richard Kind, Richard Chamberlain and Tom Skerrit. Wow.
Love, love, love Beth having all those facts at her fingertips. "What do you guys do on your weekends" indeed.
All my questions have already been asked, so please be sure to tell us about the gun/fingerprints, why Eliot was smiling at the end and all about the crowbar to his head.
Loved the episode, as always. Congratulations to everyone for keeping such extraordinary quality on show after show after show. And thank you for that, as well.
Probably my favorite episode this season. Loved the shout out to Moffat & Davies. There was excellent chemistry between Hutton & Skerritt, and I too would very much like to see Jimmy make a return appearance.
So I noticed as he spent more and more time with Jimmy and the Russians, Nate's native accent became more and more pronounced, until he dropped it completely when he confronted his Dad at the police station. It was a subtle, yet effective way to demonstrate Nate's return to (and denial of) his roots. Was that written into the script, or was that Tim's idea?
Throwback question to 302: Was the 'trimmed a banzai' thing Eliot was talking about as filthy as it seemed or am I just a pervert? And is it just me or is Sophie a big sister to Eliot, well everyone except Nate?
I love, love, love that you're using so much more of Portland streets in these episodes. I actually knew where you had Nate and Sophie walking (Adler) because when I was there for ConCon.
They turned the corner to look at McRory's and I'm hoping that this'll get answered in an earlier Post-Game that I asked about the exteriors, but man tonight? That's got to be a physical location that's somewhere in Portland unless you guys really expanded that set. It looked FANTASTIC with that long hallway. I'm hoping it's a practical location though - I just want to know WHERE. Google Street View shows some other building where they're looking, but I know that could be years old and the way things change downtown...
Anyone in Portland want to help me out? It's Adler/Morrison/14th-16th street area. I *think* based on where Sophie and Nate were walking.
- - - The bar is a set in their sound stage...it is unfortunately not a real place, not even a real bar just renamed for the show. I'm not sure where the physical building is but it would be kinda hard to find without that big sign hanging out in front. - - -
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Did Kane style his hair with a piece of broken glass?
- - - What is that supposed to mean anyway? The Make-up artists actually did a really good job on his hair. - - -
Elliot with another cheap strike to the groin, and please tell me that was a choke hold and not a tea-bagging! Eeeeew!
- - - Question: In what creepy part of the world do you live in? Ok, that came across more rude than expected but the question still holds. A groin hit is a quick and effective way to effectively take down your opponent, especially one who is standing on something...it worked. And of course that was a choke hold! In what episode has there ever been anything like that from any character, especially during a fight? None. I am glad you enjoyed the rest of the ep. - - -
Other than that moment of utter creepyness, loved the show. I am amazed how every week you and your crew pull off high quality entertainment on such a tight schedule Bravo! And thank you !
Anonymous Oona said...
Okay, so I just skipped first viewing of Mad Men to re-watch. There were a couple of little hitches, but the good stuff was so good, all the other stuff was very minor and nitpicky.
A few questions:
1) Beth totally almost cracked up in that scene where Parker and Eliot are sneaking up the warehouse. Parker is looking around furtively, looks offscreen, and a little smile appears that is quickly supressed. Do other cast members just stand offscreen making faces? (cause I could totally see this cast screwing with each other that way.)
- - - I could see the cast and crew making each other laugh, between takes. I think Parker was just having a blast with this job. She cracked herself up, almost, when they were walking up to the warehouse, I believe she was talking about tasering the guy...she likes tasers. And then again when she was in the back of the truck "looking again" and sarcastically mimicking Eliot about the whole not throwing crowbars at peoples heads. My first instinct is to trust the actor and consider why the character may be doing what they are doing and not say that an actor(ress) goofed. Don't get me wrong sometimes, a lot of times, in other shows actors do and editing didn't remove all of it, but in this case I think she did it on purpose. - - -
Moffet and Davies! YES! I died a little fangirl death of glee at that one. Have you seen Moffet's new series Sherlock? I think it's brilliant. And any word on Moffet stealing Gina for an ep of Doctor Who yet? And if so, will Leverageverse implode from meta-confusion if Hardison uses Gina Bellman for a Sophie alias? Not that the plethora of former Star Trek actors hasn't already muddied those waters.
Anyway! My question on #309 is this: How did you decide on which direction to take Nate in emotionally throughout the episode? Was there a moment where things kind of came together and you knew how he'd react to his father in this situation and where he'd end up or was it a process of building the progression?
Christine did a great job writing this one. Dean directing too, this was the "A" team putting this one together! I had a friend say "Now that's why I like Leverage!", after the show was over was over. This was also a good episode for Tim to show more of what Nate can be if he stays sober and focused. Questions: 1) Why not get a black box with 2 remotes? 2) They are being seen too much by the local police, aren't they afraid someone will remember them. 3) How is Jimmy going to retire with no money? This job was going to be his last. 4) What was the crowbar made of?
PS What did you think of the idea I messaged you on Facebook?
I guess I'm an anomaly. All the references to past shows and other shows blow right by me. I'm having too much fun watching the characters interact and get the job at hand done. Whether it's Eliot and Hardison messing with each other's heads or Eliot's annoyance at Parker (I agree, an annoyed Eliot is a funny Eliot), that's what makes the show fun for me. So here's my question: Does it disappoint you that I don't put all that effort into it? If it does I can promise to do better! LOL!
Tim Hutton did such a great job with this episode. I must say it was one of his best. He really made Nate shine this episode.
What happened to the phones to keep the cops from calling each bank to confirm that acutual bank robberies were underway before sending the whole force? Did I miss something?
I do have one question about McCrorys though. Hardison owns the building with the apartments and the bar in it but did he buy the bar itself? Or does the grateful owner allow them free run of the place? I remember last season them helping the ...daughter? granddaughter?... of the late previous owner. Just not sure of this point.
Throwback question to 302: Was the 'trimmed a banzai' thing Eliot was talking about as filthy as it seemed or am I just a pervert?
It was "trimmed a bonsai" as in one of those little bonsai trees. Which is what they used to distract Duberman, who collected Japanese art and artifacts. So you're just a pervert, but it's Eliot, so who isn't?
Was discussing the episode with a friend and had a nebulous thought with a vague edge of question appear in my pre-caffeinated brain. Lemme wander until I get to it.
Ok, Nate is a nasty guy. Yet he declared the team his family. And he has a love/hate thing for his flesh-and-blood family, tons of conflict, a lot of memories of being treated like a schmuck by his own father (mother, I'm guessing, was the one who pushed him in the alterboy/priest direction). So, is that what underlines the whole love/hate thing Nate has for the team? He doesn't so much see them and care for them as the individuals they are but for the group they've become? (that doesn't even make grammatical sense to me, dammit.) Are we seeing Nate play out his family past or building a family he can, in some weird way, love? (I'd say going to prison to keep them out counts as a weird, twisted, hard to recognize kind of love).
Second thing -- not killing Jimmy, letting him go -- but taking away the respect he wanted -- yeah, worse than death, maybe, for a guy like Jimmy Ford. The elder Ford had no respect for his son because he thought his son was too soft, maybe too unlike him, and was even competitive with his son (maybe some rivalry about Mom in there?). So, was that the real queen in the cards, the one Jimmy didn't see Nate had hidden? Someone else pointed out that Jimmy has a life of staying hidden ahead. He can't go back to the Auld Country and be Big Jimmy Ford. That's some punishment.
Or did I miss something?
Third thing -- Mrs. Ford loved Jimmy, but didn't understand him. I get the feeling that once upon a time Nate loved his father but didn't understand him. Now he understands him but doesn't love him. Understanding him precludes any love. This almost seems to circle back to Nate's self-hatred and then takes the clubhouse turn back to Nate's issues with understanding himself and...I just made myself dizzy.
Either you guys are going WAY deep for this show, or you are doing a damn good job of planting stuff so the overthinkers in your audience will not sleep at night. Talk about back handed fan service!
Had rewatched the First and Second David Jobs over the weekend. Nate really, really is not a nice guy. But the fun train keeps going and so I didn't really pay attention.
Holding a gun up to your (harda**) father though, wow.
And by the way, August 8 is Father's Day in Taiwan. The word for 8 is a sounds the same as the word for father.
Another in a long line of episodes this season that was "Leverage" at its best.
I did figure out that Jimmy Ford (Skerritt) was going for the evidence locker way before the team. The way the flashbacks went to the "Three Card Monte" game (and knowing how that game works myself) just set it up that Jimmy's team was going for the police station. I did not see, however, Jimmy's alterior motive to getting the ledger for the Three Families.
Questions:
1) Sophie (Gina) seemed to be the "voice of reason" in this ep, stating several times to Nate (Tim) that he didn't have to be the one to take his father down. Will this have some "foreshadowing" of a future con where perhaps Sophie is in Nate's place?
2) Cora owns McRory's and is well versed in what the team does. I wouldn't think that she would allow anyone, even Nate's father, to set up shop there. Was there something we missed along the way?
3) Jimmy stated that, at one time, he was the best fixer in the city. Isn't that what Nate has become, albeit in a different sense?
By the way, Sophie whipping out handcuffs on call. You've probably sent fanfic writers into a frenzy with that one!
@ChelseaNH, Nate meant "trimmed a bonsai" in the actual trimming an ornamental shrub sense. Eliot, however, clearly meant it in the filthy sense. "Police woman in Osaka," remember? ;-)
I guess I'm in the minority, as I just couldn't buy Tom Skerrit as Nate's dad. Not Irish enough, I don't think.
That said, loved the episode and thought Tim did an outstanding job!
You lost me at the end with the ledger bit, though. I might have missed something, but I just didn't get it. (By it, I mean, why Jimmy went after it, not the stuff Nate did to screw with him)
2) The three Irish mob families probably have a fair amount of international ties. Do we see any of those names popping up later on. For instance, in connection with a big crime financier?
Or how bout those Russians? The M-somethingorothers are probably going to be a bit peeved with Nate and Daddy Ford, who they'll probably think was part of a double cross, no? No aliases to hide behind here - surely this one end up coming back to bite someone?
This was a good one all around, but i kinda wanted to see off the rails Nate. I know he's all bidness since jail, but he was almost too calm in the beginning. Off the rails Nate followed by Nate with shaking hands after almost shooting dad would have worked better for me. Guess i just like spiraling Nate when i can get 'im.
Next week - Bruce Dern kicking Nate's ass and CK in miner gear. Bring it on! (Although every time I see Bruce Dern now, i'm waiting for him to dissolve into water. Damn X-men!)
No questions right now, just the usual kudos and "atta boy/girl" stuff. And a painful admission:
I was sitting there, feeling oh-so-smug for having figured out the target before Nate and crew. Then, I indulged in a slightly-superior "Oh, Nate" moment when his dad turned the tables. Like *that* wasn't gonna happen. And then...
...I was taken completely by surprise with the whole "ledger" angle. So much for smugness and superiority, lol. If Little Debbie made a "crow" snack cake, I'd be eating them by the boxful right now.
Thanks to all for another great show (and a lesson in humility *g*).
*Brought to you by the "Coalition To Remind Myself I'm Not All That", Rev. Trask, President (and sole member) and, as always, by Little Debbie.
Amidst all the tons of sheer awesomeness that is this ep, I think what sticks with me the most is the issue of family, of "real (blood) family" vs. "true family."
Throughout the episode, we saw Jimmy and Nate, blood family, go at it hammer and tongs, saw their twisted history and what its done to Nate, and saw Nate coldly plot to take down his father, who clearly had no qualms about doublecrossing his son. (And let me agree with the poster who said the line "I want to look him in the eye when I put him down" was chilling.)
But also throughout the ep we see his other family, the team, his true family, backing him up when they doubted his clarity or were pissed that he cut them out of the loop. It hit me most clearly at the end, when Nate leaves Jimmy no choice but to get on that ship, running his father out of town (after making him a target), then turns and finds his real family right there waiting for him.
I think I literally sighed at that moment. I know it made me ridiculously happy. So no real questions (the ones I had - gun w/fingerprints on cop's desk and what happened to the ledger - have been asked), just kudos for an outstaning ep and thanks for the happy sigh at the end.
Usually the victim who initiates the story gets rewarded in the end. But for this episode, there is no 'payback' for the victim. What's to stop the Russians from going after him? Is this an untied loose end for the episode? Just askin'
@SueN:Eliot, however, clearly meant it in the filthy sense. "Police woman in Osaka," remember? He was about to get into a story about how she was a geisha, which I think is sufficient grounds to muddy your clear waters.
Besides which, I see no reason to doubt that Eliot has not only trimmed a bonsai tree, but done a stellar job of it. Because he's Batman.
I just have to tell you that the whole Eliot vs. crowbar was hilarious. I laughed so hard I missed the next couple of lines. Thank you for that. Also, Tom Skerritt has Ford hair. Or is that Hutton hair? LOL It's hard to tell the difference sometimes. Looking forward to next week's ep!
Yet another great episode, great job - awesome as usual! Loved how more of Portland's streets were worked in, I recognized several of the places. And, Parker knowing every single bank in that area? Amazing!
Questions: 1, who's idea was Parker's bad aim with the crowbar? I had to rewatch that part several times because I was laughing so hard (and cringing for Eliot, of course). 2, there's really only one way out of Nate's apartment? I admit I'm a bit surprised that they'd set themselves up to be trapped like that...
I thought the casting of Nate's dad was perfect. I would never have thought of them resembling each other before, but then that scene where they had a large picture of Jimmy Ford on the screen and Nate was standing in front of it (or maybe behind it, I can't recall) and the lines around their mouths and the lines between their foreheads were exactly the same and I thought it was perfect.
I, too, loved the scene wit Eliot and Parker breaking into the warehouse. I laughed out loud when he got hit in the head with a crowbar. A Wolverine/Kitty relationship indeed.
Also-- The best scene of the night for me was Nate and his Dad conning the guy for the papers from his briefcase. It seemed a really complex moment, because it was obvious that both Nate and his father enjoyed working together and yet Nate was trying to take down his father and deny that he had anything but contempt for him.
Moffet and Davies? I love finding the Doctor Who homages - as I assume that is what those were.
You also keep saying Nate is a bad, bad man, and yet he's not arrived in bad-town yet. He burned his own father, yes, but didn't shoot him, or send him back to jail, or let him steal fake evidence. Maybe he's not as bad as you want us to think?
I agree with Dea - The shot of Nate standing looking at his father and the picture of Jimmy superimposed on the glass in front of Nate was beautiful. I also agree that Tim Hutton played the conflict/anger/etc. so convincingly.
At the risk of having a former poster go postal at me - when we have seen Eliot either do the choke hold or whatever....aren't we also hearing a little "crunch" sound? I don't want to think that I'm watching him kill someone but the crunch gets me every time!
Leverage was brilliant last night! Tom Skerritt as Nate's dad was great casting. I loved that you didn't shy away from making Jimmy a complete bastard, and that you didn't lay on any lovey filial reconciliation crap at the end. Nate didn't even blink at taking the chance that one of the families would shoot at the old man and not miss. It's easy to see now how Nate ended up exactly how he is. And just how gloriously messed-up was Jimmy's last line? His son is more ruthless and cruel than he is, and he's proud of him! Sadly, I don't think Nate got a warm fuzzy feeling from finally making his dad proud. And then Sophie tells him he was kind. Ha! If "kind" is defined as "exiling your dad to the old country instead of shooting him in the face", yeah, Nate's a sweetie.
Also liked Eliot's little chuckle after Parker wondered if Nate was gonna be nice now. Oddly, I think Eliot "I'm Gonna Punch Somebody" Spencer is the least messed-up of the whole crew.
My question is, how did Hardison get out of the evidence locker before the door locked without being seen? Maybe I'll catch the answer when I watch the episode again... shortly.
So Cora nor Frank the Bartender mentioned "Hey, Nate, Jimmy's back in town." And no one noticed a big production going on in the poker room? I'd almost think that Hardison would be scanning everyone who walks thru the bar doors in case cops, feds, or crooks walk in.
No question here, just wanted to pop in and say hi. I'm a new fan this season. Heard from a lot of people that if I liked Burn Notice I should try Leverage, so I caught up with the reruns on TNT during the hiatus. Now I'm the one telling more and more people to watch.
Thanks for an incredible show. I'm now thoroughly obsessed. You guys should teach a class for other showrunners and actors on how to successfully interact with fans. I'm spoiled now...I want a blog like this for all of my favorite shows.
@ChelseaNH, Oh, trust me, I have no doubt that Eliot could trim a bonsai even while, eh, trimming her bonsai. And pouring a damn fine cup of tea, to boot.
Ok, so I dont own a DVR and my internet sucks so much I don't torrent, so I only remember what my short-circut brain decides to let me, but I do think I remember this: There were no beginning credits? You know, the whole schtick with "We provide leverage" and the whole hitter, hacker, grifter, thief, MASTERMIND (you guys really gotta change that back, btw) scroll.....Why?
Question 2: Listening to the music during the end credits, who is that instrumental by? It is very reminiscent of 'FX/The Series' from way back in the day. Was that an inspiration, was is the same composer, or am I again way out there like Pluto?
That ledger had belonged to another bookie/loan shark who turned it over to the cops when he turned state's evidence against the Irish mob, and contained proof of various nefarious doings by said mob.
Jimmy wanted it so he could turn it over to one of the three mob families and thus earn his way back into their good graces by stealing the evidence from the cops and hamstringing, if not destroying, the cops' case against them.
Now, what Nate did was to get to the families before Jimmy and tell them that Jimmy wanted to sell them the ledger rather than giving it to them, essentially blackmailing them. Which no good mobster likes. Hence, Nate made his dad a target. (Lovely family, no? *g*)
What happened to the phones to keep the cops from calling each bank to confirm that acutual bank robberies were underway before sending the whole force? Did I miss something?
When the alarm goes off, the cops don't call ahead. They just go. If it's a real bank robbery, it's unlikely that anyone will A) answer the phone, B) be happy at the time wasted on the call.
He was about to get into a story about how she was a geisha, which I think is sufficient grounds to muddy your clear waters.
I kept wondering what a geisha bar is, as geisha aren't prostitutes, but closer to WAY high-class social liaisons. Then I googled the term and found a few themed bars that were called "geisha" bars. I don't think Eliot was abroad, and the woman certainly wasn't a geisha. Either way, that's probably what he meant. I loved how he started getting into an irrelevant story Nate clearly did not want to hear.
WONDERFUL episode. If you were going for helping us understand Nate better, you sure did it. I actually like that he treats his team the way his dad treated him. Means he really does think of them as family. It's just mean, yeah. But I think they've taken a deep breath and accepted it's his way of telling them he loves them.
@Video Beagle said, "I'd almost think that Hardison would be scanning everyone who walks thru the bar doors in case cops, feds, or crooks walk in."
Were this true, The Italian would never have gotten into Nate's bedroom. See, this is what happens when good hackers read comics by a certain comic book writer. Hypersigils of secret base infiltration are more dangerous than people realize.
Christine did a great job writing this one. Dean directing too, this was the "A" team putting this one together! I had a friend say "Now that's why I like Leverage!", after the show was over was over. This was also a good episode for Tim to show more of what Nate can be if he stays sober and focused. Questions: 1) Why not get a black box with 2 remotes? 2) They are being seen too much by the local police, aren't they afraid someone will remember them. 3) How is Jimmy going to retire with no money? This job was going to be his last. 4) What was the crowbar made of?
- - - With the ~$2 Mill that was confiscated along with the goods. But in all honesty he wasn't going to retire, he was trying to get his job back. - - -
@Zenkitty714, considering that they cut a whole from one apartment into Nate's in "The Beantown Bailout Job", there should be another door. However, I'd be willing to bet, during the six months Nate was in prison, when they converted his apartment into their offices, Hardison sealed up that door for security purposes.
Brilliant episode. It’s definitely one of my favorites. Hutton pulled off Nate's reactions perfectly.
A few (or more … ) questions: 1) How old was Nate when his Mom died? 2) Was it Jimmy’s fault that she died? 3) Do people really ever do the Three Card Monte by switching out the queen? This fit in nicely with the plot (and I loved that you didn’t really reveal the trick), but when I learned this trick the queen was always among the cards on the table, just not where ... 4) Watching this reminded me about a scene from the Two Horse Job: At the beginning of the poker game in that episode, did Hutton do the hot-shot cut himself or was it someone else? 5) Was this Jimmy Ford's first "job" since he got out of prison? When did he get out of prison, and how long had he been in? 6) Has Nate been estranged from his dad since he went of to priest school? Or did Maggie make sure they kept in touch for Sam’s sake? 7) It seems that Nate sees it as a weakness that he “only” ran his father out of town and didn’t put him in jail. What does the rest of the team think? It was Parker’s “Is Nate gonna be nice now” comment at the very end of the episode that confused me. She seemed to so get him in that scene where she came to get Nate out of the police station (btw, I loved that parallel to the times when Nate went easy on her because he got why she made the choices she did), but she seemed to so not get him with that last comment. Why was it so weird that Nate “just” ran his father out of town and didn’t put him in jail? The team doesn’t always put the bad guy in jail they sometimes have alternate punishments.
Thanks, as always, for indulging our Leverage obsessions ;)
So, I'd asked a couple of eps ago if you guys ever considered writing one without the flashbacks explaining their scams, then you went and did it. So, asked and answered, I guess.
I generally don't like Sophie's more broad American accents, but "Mañana? No, that's Spanish!" was almost as good as "We meet on internet."
I'm always amused when you throw in Con names (Orphan Annie, Pill) - are the names really so common that all the team would know them without asking or is just a nice shorthand way to show they're cut from the same cloth?
This took at least two viewings to get the full benefit. At first I was not sure about the Tom Skerrit casting but when I watched him work with Tim Hutton (esp. on re-watch) they made a great match.
I agree with whoever mentioned that their father/son conversations were painful and that was the point. Even at their friendliest you could tell that Jimmy Ford was a nasty SOB.
Loved, loved, loved Sophie's grifts this episode! "Viola D'Agostino" had me rolling, even before she came back with Jimmy Papadokulus in tow. The 'Little Orphan Annie' scam was also brilliant. Nice lift of the apron by Parker, even before Sophie asks. She's really starting to get with the rhythm of the team.
Does Parker's line at the end ("I know") when she finds that Nate let Jimmy go relate to her own experience with Archie? Leach was not as nasty as Jimmy but he was still not the warm fuzzy type.
First, when Jimmy goes into the safe to get the ledger, he says "(Name)"s ledger." I couldn't make out the name -- whose was it?
Second, when he looks at the boards with pictures of the three Irish mob families, there's one of what appears to be the same dark-haired man in sun glasses on two of them, positioned so we'd notice him. Are we seeing previews of coming Moreau, perhaps?
Thanks, as always for your time and the great stories!
It's been said before, but - poor Nate, growing up with that dad. No wonder he started out as an altar boy and then tried to work on the law's side.
And poor Sophie - she has to be mom not just to the team, but to Nate as well.
Funny thing though, Nate's crazy schemes always do seem to work out somehow, while everyone else is rolling their eyes and saying "not again." This is becoming a little bit annoying. I'm reminded of Eureka, where everyone always says "Carter, that can't be right" even though Carter has nearly always had at least a piece of the puzzle.
@Sullivan, Nate's schemes don't always work out; any number of times they've had to improvise a "fix" on the fly. "Three Strikes" comes glaringly to mind, as does "Zanzibar Marketplace." So the team's entitled to some eyerolling, esp. when Nate seems just a tad too emotionally invested.
1) It occurs to me that most of Nate's back story was about trying to reconcile the "bad things" his father taught him to do with some "doing good" drive. Was the insurance co. incident just the final straw of a series of incidents when witnessed people claiming to be good actually hurting people (being bad), leading him to choose to "do good by being bad" instead of "doing bad by being good?"
2) Any chance we will go back to Nate's journey as a priest? I suspect Nate saw something seriously off in seminary? Which also prompts me to ask, would you ever go anywhere near the subject of pedophilia scandals in Boston, or would you rather be boiled in BP crude?
Just comments: I was actually surprised when Nate let his father go, but that made the blackmail reveal so much fun to watch. But what really shocked me was that while Nate was holding a gun on his father, he was so calm—many, many levels of creepy calm. Bravo Tim Hutton! Skerritt was dead red as Jimmy--his accent sounded very real (only coming out strong in certain words), and Tim's voice changed when he was with him, just like your accent would slip out more around your family. Leverage just keeps getting better and better every ep. You guys are doing more than clicking on all cylinders--you're burning rocket fuel. Way to go!!
Even at their friendliest you could tell that Jimmy Ford was a nasty SOB.
I've watched three times now, including scene by scene for the recap, and I don't remember any actual human warmth in Jimmy Ford. I'm inclined to think he's a raging narcissist. The only reason he's proud of Nate at the end (assuming he's not just feeding Nate a line of BS) is because he's proud of what he made Nate into.
The whole bit with Nate and the gun was just odd. Really, I'm supposed to believe that Nate hates his father so much that shooting him is in the realm of possibility? When the team has never included murder in any of their plans before? Plus, of course, Nate was so steady while the gun was drawn. And would Nate think that his father would buy the threat? So, just an odd approach to the situation.
Hi! Thanks, as usual, for making great TV. Double thanks for featuring Nate Ford, the character of my dreams, played by one of my lifelong favorite actors. (My best friend, who lusts after Skerritt, was just as happy this week.)
I have a couple questions, one general and one specific.
I've noticed when rewatching the episodes in season 1 and 2 on DVD, the cons seem more obscured, the execution flashbacks more hint than explanation. They require you to watch carefully. By contrast, in this episode I guessed the gag based on the map graphic with arrows leading to the three banks and away from the police precinct. I feel that this season there's been more explication and less room for inference. Am I wrong? If not, is there a reason for that choice?
Second, when in the con did Nate make his choice about throwing his dad to the three families? I replayed the flashback and couldn't identify the room. (My fave personal explanation was that he threatened him with the gun as a frying pan to distract from the giant fire Jimmy was about to enter, hence the "I had to let him go (so the trap could snap)" but that's because I like to think of Nate as infallible.)
I am quite pleased with this week's episode. Good work as usual for everyone and you in Leverage production.
I have to ask this: Jimmy Ford mentions to Nate that they have some "pretty cousins" in Ireland. My question is, are they, the cousins, also involved in crime? Is this a setup for future storyline and will we expect to see Nate's Irish (and distant, I suppose) cousins sometimes in the future?
Also, considering the fact that Nate's grandfather, as Jimmy stated, came into America, what decade would the Ford have come into the America? I'm guessing somewhere in late 19th century to early 20th century.
This has nothing to do with this ep (we won't get season 3 around here for the foreseeable future), but just thought I'd mention it.
In the #304 answer post, you mentioned: Downey was working on this high concept idea. "I want to do a totally silent heist set to music only. Classical music. Timed to that piece of classical music."
Which reminded me forcefully of one of the most brilliant moments in Danish heist movie history (yes, there is such a thing), a job set back stage at the Danish Royal Theatre during (and timed to) the Ouverture to Elverhøj, the (rather staid) national play.
This was one of the best this season! The con was original, it was personal for Nate and that's always interesting and makes for the best dramatic episodes. I also thought the directing of Dean Devlin was superb. Nice camera moves. Also loved the Irish soundtrack. It was great to see some more Nate and Sophie scenes this time, I love their connection, how they care about each other and are there for each other. Is there any chance we get a nicer Nate once he and Sophie get together? Would love to see a softer side of him with Sophie. He has that inside of him and Sophie is the one to bring it out of him.
Don't get me wrong, I like Tom Skerritt, and he was a good fit for what we knew about Jimmy, but oh sweet jeebus that was a bad accent. The Boston "townie" accent is one of the hardest American dialects to imitate. Generally, I prefer that actors not try rather than doing it badly.
Moffat and Davies. Whovians is the hiz-ouse! (Ahem. Sorry, I won't do that again. [/waytoowhite])
I'll probably have questions after I rewatch. For now I'm just reveling in the crunchy plot goodness. :)
I must say, I adore this show. I always love the little cons they do, but when you dive into family and the characters' pasts, those are always my favorite episodes. The Inside Job and now this episode have got to be my two favorite episodes so far. You get so deep with the characters, and I love seeing how they evolved and became who they were.
That said, I hope we see an Eliot-based episode like this. Because I adore Eliot to pieces.
I seem to be one of the few who didn't know of Tom Skerritt before this episode (and I've seen Top Gun, but I couldn't have picked him out of a lineup) but I must say that the character interactions between Jimmy Ford and Nate were absolutely brilliant. Kudos to everyone. Serious kudos.
The one question I have is this; this is the second season and the second year the team has been in Boston, and a lot of their jobs have been in the city. They've ventured some distances (Ukraine in season 2, other cities in Massachusetts, and I think Vermot in The Gone-Fishing Job) but because they're not moving a lot, doesn't that mean they've made a lot of enemies in their base town? Are they worried about not just the cops but other criminals and villians in the city recognizing them and muddying up the waters?
Also (I think this has been asked) are we going to see more of Jimmy Ford in the future? And Taggart and McSweeten are always fun to see.
That's all for now. Keep up the good work! I'll be rooting for you!
@Video Beagle, you misunderstand me. The writer in question has nothing to do with this, except that we know Hardison reads those books. It's the character in one of those books that I think may be infecting Hardison. Not having a camera on the back door to watch for people using the back room is a page right of The Killing Joke.
@SKEMERGrrl So we've seen Nate's dad (his mom has passed on). Parker and Hardison were foster kids. Sophie has never mentioned her family. Eliot has mentioned a nephew and he even went back to his hometown for the "Two Horse Job". Does Eliot see his family? He seems like the only one that does. Will we see them?
That's a good question - my husband kind of balked at that moment, too. Nic had a good idea that maybe Nate did it to distract dad.
But I don't think we were ever supposed to think Nate would do it. His dad certainly didn't. I think maybe it was just meant to show how angry and betrayed he felt. He'd just spent a day where his dad appeared impressed by his skillz and they bonded at the bar late into the night, and then found out dad had played him big time.
What do say you on that one, Rogers and I also wondered when he came up with the retirement plan?
Also, when Jimmy says "I could do it but you can't" - is he referring to being able to shoot someone in general or being able to shoot a member of the family in particular? Which also made me wonder, has Nate ever had to kill anyone before as an insurance investigator? We know he carried a gun.
Was the redhead that shot at Jimmy from the Iceman Job gang? Looked like the same thug.
Also, loved the gag reel on season 2 DVD but missed the deleted scenes. The reverse was true for season 1 DVD. Can we have both for season 3 DVD? Please?
@ Anonymous (6:30 pm) RE: the card cut on the "Two-Horse Job" - I think the commentaries said that Apollo Robbins did much of the card tricks on that shoot. I think on "The Top Hat Job" Tim Hutton did the trick either with the cards or the poker chips....I think that's what I remember.
Parker's knowledge of all the banks in the Boston area is just ... so full of win I can't even describe it. Excellent job. Loved how she was laughing at the banks' security systems (jokes, really, for a thief like her).
Also, Sophie's rant about thieves who muscle honest citizens into doing their dirty work was great. It's a wonderful insight into her character. "We chose crime, Andre didn't."
God, I really hope there are bad guys like this out in the world. Working for a good cause, I mean.
Also, LOVED Parker's line at the end: "Does this mean Nate's going to be nice now?" And Eliot's resulting grin/chuckle. Jimmy's wave of respect to the team at the end was also appreciated.
Actually, let's just say I greatly appreciated this whole episode. FTW
But I don't think we were ever supposed to think Nate would do it. . .I think maybe it was just meant to show how angry and betrayed he felt. He'd just spent a day where his dad appeared impressed by his skillz and they bonded at the bar late into the night, and then found out dad had played him big time.
I disagree about this. I think we should realize the chance that Nate would actually shoot his Dad was 50/50, and his Dad was underestimating him. Perhaps it's because I have my own dysfunctional family issues, but I can easily imagine that during the "bonding at the bar" session Nate was just seeing his Dad work the same old con he always worked--on his own son--and was to the point beyond rage, where it's easier to consider killing someone in a very cold light, like putting down a sick animal. Just MO.
Hello? If your groin is open, you should get hit. It's not cheap. It's value-conscious.
I think the use of "value-conscious" in this statement has to be my favorite use of that concept ever.
Bit of a flashback question, but applicable now because of the content of this ep - did you intend from the very beginning to reveal Nate's 'dark' side? Just wondering because I re-watched the pilot today and there was SO MUCH emphasis on how he was the "white knight"/"honest man" in that episode.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who considered that idea. Nate doesn't strike me as the kind of guy who'd pull a gun against a rival, especially one personally tied to him, especially one who's just embarrassed him in front of his partners and screwed up his con, unless he 1) was gonna shoot the guy or 2) the capitulation was instrumental to a larger game. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's my hope.
While I'm commenting another text wall here anyway, let me close the "@Ally" part of this and pre-emptively cram the ballot box of NO where it comes to Nate's niceness. I've noticed Parker has been the voice of Nate's arc in the season ("Is it me or has Nate gotten a little...sadistic since he's been sober?" and so on) and while jokes are great, a genuinely "nice" Nate Ford would make me sad in my special angry place. I have the same Weltschmerz about that as I do about the phrase "sober Nate Ford".
There are tons of shows where crack teams help downtrodden clients on both sides of the law. Leverage is my favorite because it commits to its antihero geniuses and their unsuitability to human society. It doesn't tell us Nate's a bastard, it shows us he's a bastard. It doesn't wrap up the addiction arc in a two-episode package with an After School Special ribbon. It doesn't show addiction as an act, but as weather generated by a character's psychological climate--if the climate's still there, the storm'll show up somewhere. You have no idea the giddy little dance I did when Nate started drinking again and didn't take it in the teeth from the Network-TV Karma Fairy. When Sophie went rogue and nobody screamed the house down. When Parker dragged them into the worst security system in history and they rolled with it.
They are not normal people, and I love them as they are. Even (perhaps especially) when they're not nice.
I disagree about this. I think we should realize the chance that Nate would actually shoot his Dad was 50/50, and his Dad was underestimating him.
Possibly, but i'm still on the fence. Nate is definitely cruel in ways Jimmy didn't anticipate but he's also still got that altar boy in there, and I think the altar boy might win every time in that situation. It was definitely the altar boy that sent him to Ireland instead of to prison. With a little bit of the thief and mastermind adding a bounty on his head, but still. I betcha Jimmy prefers Ireland to dying behind bars.
I could be misreading, so I definitely hope Rogers will comment on what Nate would have been capable of there. Pretty please?
Also, is there some behind the scenes significance to the name Logue?
Also, was it just me or did the boards in the organized crime room maybe have some little tidbits in it relevant to our big bad for the season?
And it occurs to me . . .could there be a Moreau-related reason that Nate let Jimmy go or do I need to put down the crack pipe?
And also again, I loved this one a whole whole lot. I may start calling it schmoopy when we're alone. You guys rock.
We saw nate usinga gun in the First David Job, but I personally don't think he really intended to kill. It was more of a plot he used to advance the con. I can't imagine Nate using a gun against his dad, seriously!
Long time lurker, finally posting. The discussions about the bar bonding and the gun scenes are really making me think deeper. Maybe too deep, but that's the joy of this show.
The bonding scene with Nate and his father at the bar. I know it started off with Nate conning his father into believing he wanted to be like him. I haven't yet figured out how it ended... Did Nate buy into his father's wishes to retire, drop guard and actually get conned? Or did he continue his con, only to get outconned by dear old dad? I lean towards the later, it's subtle, but telling.
Second, the whole gun scene. Jimmy would have outright shot Nate had the roles been reversed, he even said as much. Jimmy isn't just a bastard, he's a heartless bastard. When Nate said he couldn't, it was more saying he couldn't BE his father. Instead, he went 'Nate' on him. Set him up so that everyone else would kill him, AND took away his respect. It's elegant, and far crueler (and maybe it's the protestant in me, but so much more Catholic). The out to Ireland, well, that just seems to show that little bit of heart he does have. I guess that's the question - does Nate have a weakness, or a heart?
@Murphy – So sorry you never saw Picket Fences. Tom Skerritt was great in that series.
Absolutely LOVED this episode! Tom Skerritt – on the money, FABULOUS casting!! What a stellar third season so far. Also, I agree w/the others - Dean’s shot of Nate through the screen w/Jimmy’s face on it was phenomenal!!!
Although I’m looking forward to next weeks’ Underground Job (ep 10), after seeing the 11th episode is the Rashomon Job (after 1950 classic film) – I’m more anxious for it. Can’t wait to see all the team members recall how they each tried to pilfer the same artifact on the very same night five years ago.
QUESTIONS: 1) What happened to the ledger? Jimmy had it when the mob took a shot at him, but didn’t see him w/it at the dock - even when he turned to go to the boat; 2) The ledger on the mob – big connection to Moreau?; 3) Will Leverage break after episode 12 or 13 before the final episodes for season three are aired in December & early January?; 4) Ever find out if Noah’s (Tim's son)picture was used for Drake McIntyre in the Reunion Job yearbook?; & 5) Any hints as to who is cast for the role of Moreau??????
Thanks again for your patience & assistance with this blog, John. We appreciate all you do for us. Also, you’re just adorable!!!!!!!!!
@Nic said: You have no idea the giddy little dance I did when Nate started drinking again and didn't take it in the teeth from the Network-TV Karma Fairy. When Sophie went rogue and nobody screamed the house down. When Parker dragged them into the worst security system in history and they rolled with it.
They are not normal people, and I love them as they are. Even (perhaps especially) when they're not nice.
THIS! I also love that they do not regret their lives of crime and do not see anything wrong with doing bad to do good.
I love my little team of happily unrepentant criminals just the way they are, bent and broken and utterly okay with that. *g*
I guess that's the question - does Nate have a weakness, or a heart?
Both. But his heart isn't his weakness. It's his strength. You can't know what the other guy's gonna do if you don't know why. And if you don't have a heart yourself you ain't ever gonna figure Nate out, even when he's being a crook.
Looking at Hardison and Eliot's reactions to Parker's question of whether or not Nate will be nice from now on, is the crew now accepting Nate's jerkness as a somewhat endearing quality that betrays his fondness for them?
I mean, they've seen his dad now, and Nate treats his "kids" (especially Hardison) the way he's been taught is how you treat your kids.
I don't think Nate ever intended to shoot his dad. He was just setting him up to think he'd gotten away with taking the ledger. Otherwise, there would have been no reason to tell The Families that Jimmy was planning on selling it to them. Nate was all shaken up afterward because, for one thing, he just held his dad at gunpoint, and also he was sending him out there to possibly be killed. When Parker said, "you let him go" she wasn't questioning why Nate hadn't shot him, she was sympathizing because he had just sent his dad out to really be shot at by the real bad guys.
I did wonder why Nate would leave the gun behind, but then I thought that maybe he hadn't brought it with him, but just liberated it from somewhere in the station. It's got to be easier to find a gun when you are already in a police station than it is to bring a gun in with you.
The one thing I really question is would all the cops in that division really have left the office empty for the amount of time it took for Jimmy to sneak in and steal the ledger and for Nate to pull a gun on him? Seems like someone would have stayed there no matter what was happening.
OK, I'm not really sure there was a question in all that, but if you can find one, feel free to answer it. :)
@SueN - THIS! I also love that they do not regret their lives of crime and do not see anything wrong with doing bad to do good.
I love my little team of happily unrepentant criminals just the way they are, bent and broken and utterly okay with that. *g* --- Where I break down on that a bit personally, was in the Boost Job, where you have an aspiring car thief that they gently turn away from crime. She had made the choice to be a criminal, initially and only the Leverage group's influence moved her away from that.
Between that and Sofie's speech about not forcing innocents into crime, it makes me think that at some level none of the team are really all that comfortable with themselves. Or maybe it's just a recognition of Society in general being larger and more influencial?
I don't think the girl was so much wanting to be a car thief as wanting to be a part of the gang that just happened to steal cars. They weren't really teaching her the trade, she was just the flunkie who ran errands.
As for Sophie's speech, they were just doing what they always do. Helping innocents caught up in situations beyond their control.
Personally, I thought it was fascinating to hear a speech about the evils of taking away people's free will from Sophie "Neurolinguistic programming" Devereaux.
I can't help but think that, deep down, her real objection to the Russians' methods is that they're inelegant.
I wasn't paying much attention to Hardison's lack of escape route from the building; I was busy admiring his priorities. It was so Hardison, taking his laptop, bundles of cash... and a bottle of orange soda. FTW.
@Emery, Parker's problem with Josie hanging out with the car thieves wasn't that she was hanging out with thieves and learning the business, it's that she knew those guys didn't care about Josie and would be just as quick to leave her to the cops as Kelly had Parker. Remember her line, "They're not your family"? And she was more than willing to tutor Josie in boosting.
And Sophie's objection was to innocent people being forced into crime against their will rather than choosing it on their own, as she did.
None of them has ever expressed any regret for being criminals. Eliot has possibly come closest, showing hints of guilt at some of the things he's done, but not for his life in general. Hardison and Sophie seem perfectly okay with what they are, and Parker doesn't even seem to realize that what she does is wrong. To her, honest people are the anomalies. And none of them are trying to go straight. Even when Sophie made her stab at being an "honest citizen," it was with a storage unit full of stolen loot.
I think now, as "criminals for the common good," they've found a way to have their cake and eat it, too.
@micah, Neurolinguistic programming isn't mind control. It seems to be suggestion. Peoples' minds pick up on the suggestion and follow it as if it's their own idea. Free will remains untouched. You can't neurolinguistically program someone to do something they wouldn't ordinarily want to do. You can make them have positive or negative associations with things, but you can't make 'em jump off a cliff. For example, Eliot clearly had no problem with pouring Sophie tea until he realized she was planting suggestions instead of asking straight-out. I imagine it went something like this.
Just wanted to say thanks for taking the time to read and answer all these questions! Your insight, patience, and dedication to your craft is impressive and inspiring! I look forward to each "post game" almost as much as I look forward to watching each ep. Keep up the great work, Leverage team!!!
That just blew the last two episodes out of the water. Really well done. I don't care for the more "cutesy" episodes (such as several of the ones that Jonathan Frakes has directed) as much as the more focused and suspenseful pieces.
I feel like such an idiot - I'd asked you before if there were going to be more 'Doctor Who' references, but when there was one, it totally didn't register until someone pointed it out to me!
I have a kind of general question - do you have fantasy story lines in your head for certain actors? Like, do you think, 'oh, if I could ever get Bernard Cribbins, I have a good plot for him'. Or any other favourite actor of your choice. (As an aside, I'm personally campaigning for something starring Betty White and Bernard Cribbins, cause...awesome)
Also, it's not a stretch to say that the Leveragites are not ordinary criminals. They are all at the very pointy end of the competence scale; they certainly know that they are the exceptions in the criminal world, not the rule. And that being a criminal is dangerous. Just because they have all managed to thrive in their environment, that doesn't mean most people can even come close to their success. Quietly ushering a bunny out of a wolf pack doesn't mean they don't love being wolves. It just makes them very unusual wolves.
To put everyone out of their misery as to where the bar is actually located in Portland (no, it is not actually a bar, otherwise you'd have to pry me off a bar stool every week). Fair to say it looks more impressive with the sign up:
Blood is thicker than water. And Nate is credited with the position of Mastermind and he's a Chess man, right? While his dad prefers the card game. So, gotta think he knew his move and the next 2 ahead of it. That's any decent chess player's goal. That said...
Why was Sophie so adament that Nate sit this one out? I understand the Dad is blood, but with the history they have and Nate's feeling she had to have known not to ride him about it like that...I just found it odd the whole team was so conscious of it especially with their own family issues. What prompted that response choice?
@Anonymous, I just found it odd the whole team was so conscious of it especially with their own family issues. What prompted that response choice?
I get the feeling it's because they've seen Nate go completely off the rails when things get too personal for him or hit too close to home. They know he's not always good at separating the job from his issues, and they're probably not eager to see him spiral out again. Especially because it usually ends up biting them in the ass.
"3) Do people really ever do the Three Card Monte by switching out the queen? This fit in nicely with the plot (and I loved that you didn’t really reveal the trick), but when I learned this trick the queen was always among the cards on the table, just not where ... "
No less an authority than The Order of the Stick weighs in on this one:
With about 20 minutes to go, I found myself looking at the clock and wondering 'how are they going to wrap this up in an hour?'. Well done.
My questions this time: 1. What was Parker looking for in the van? 2. What DID happen to the ledger? I thought Jimmy had it with him when he walked up to Nate at the docks, but not when he left. 3. How did you choose Tom Skerritt to play Jimmy? Were there others on your short list?
Thanks for all you do to make this an experience for the fans.
3) How is Jimmy going to retire with no money? This job was going to be his last.
It seems to me that most people are forgetting that Jimmie Ford is a ruthless,cruel, and malevolent man. And then some! He was taking care of himself and controlling the town long before Nate came along. His kind will flourish in whatever area they are sent to even if he does get on a boat with no money or clothes. He obviously picks pockets without difficulty so no worries about room and board until he sets up his rulership in whatever town he comes to. I agree about the 2 mil but I don't see how he could have it in his pockets at the time he had to get on the boat. Anyway, I'm not worried about Jimmie Ford and I believe that's why Nate wasn't worried either and that Sophie said Nate was being "kind".
Jimmy Ford..Jimmy=James.It's in honour of James Dana Hutton=Jim Hutton,Tim dad? The Nate boy it's very cute,but he have brown eyes.Nathan Ford (TimHutton) have blue eyes. Skerritt do a great,great job.
"The Nate boy it's very cute,but he have brown eyes.Nathan Ford (TimHutton) have blue eyes."
Brown eyed parents can have blue-eyed children. In the very simplest model, blue eyes are a recessive gene that two brown eyed parents can carry and express in 1 in 4 of their kids. What's with that objection coming up again?
(Complex model apparently implies blue eyed parents can have brown eyed kids, but I totally don't understand it enough to talk about it on the internet)
@ita, the problem is that Nate as a young boy had brown eyes and Nate as a grown man has blue eyes. I know that people's hair color sometimes changes as they grow up, but eye color usually stays about the same. ;-)
It seems this season to expand on the growing trend of actors known for playing 'nice guys' roles lately showing up as 'bad guys' on Leverage. Christian and Aldis have both played bad guys on popular 'cult' type shows. (Have the others?) Anyway, is that a draw for some of the actors to guest star - the fact that they play against type? Also, there has been a lot of 'six degrees (or usually less) of separation' between Leverage and some shows that are popular more in the sci-fi/fantasy world (Lost, Supernatural, Buffy, Angel, etc) than the crime/drama type world. Is that more because of the creative teams roots?
It seems this season to expand on the growing trend of actors known for playing 'nice guys' roles lately showing up as 'bad guys' on Leverage. Christian and Aldis have both played bad guys on popular 'cult' type shows. (Have the others?) Anyway, is that a draw for some of the actors to guest star - the fact that they play against type?
Does a bear defecate in the woods?
Ask any actor, all things being equal, they'll jump at a role that expands their range, not only from an artistic viewpoint, but from a financial viewpoint (because now they have something in their reel that SHOWS they can play a certain type).
To throw my two cents into the pot on why Nate tried to shoot but didn't shoot his dad, I think he scared himself. Clearly there's some major bitterness and resentment toward Jimmy, least of all because of how Jimmy treated Nate's mother, and Nate hates him. Not dislikes, HATES. But as much as Nate is relishing in being a bad guy this year, I think he scared himself when he realized that yeah, he could shoot his dad in the face and walk away. Hence his sitting with his face in his shaking hands. Besides, the team will put up with a lot, but Nate flat out murdering his father? I don't think that would go over well. How do you think the team would have reacted had Nate shot Jimmy in the face?
Katie - that's a very interesting read. I think I like that one best, that Nate was so freaked out because after his father said, "I could do it, but you can't," Nate realized that he could. It also makes it more impressive that he was "kind" in the end if he actually was making a choice in the matter and wasn't just driven to it by his nature.
Came up with some new questions -
1) How long has Jimmy been in jail?
2) Were he and his wife divorced?
3) In the flashback, Jimmy says something to the effect of, don't piss me off. I read Jimmy as the kind of guy who was not a serial abuser but who certainly wouldn't blink at smacking his kid when feeling provoked, correct?
4) At the briefing, it's clear that Hardison and Sophie are uncomfortable about having Jimmy as the mark, and Eliot could care less. Parker never really states her affiliation. What's going on in her head there? . . . And don't say "the pros and cons of various bank security systems." ;)
@Katie, that's a great take on Nate! I hadn't even considered that before, but it makes perfect sense. I kept trying to figure out why he would be so shaken. It couldn't be just pulling a gun; we've seen him do that before. We've even seen him shoot Sophie. And he certainly didn't have any great love (or any at all) for dear old Dad. So it couldn't just be, "Oh, my God, I almost shot my father, what was I thinking?"
I very much like the idea that what shook him was the realization that he could have done it, and that, more than he ever wanted to be, he is exactly his father's son. Whuch makes his, "I want to look him in the eyes when I put him down" line even more chilling.
Okay, so I don't know if anyone else noticed this, but Jimmy NEVER ONCE in all the series (Even in the Beantown Bailout flashback) calls Nate 'Nate.' He ALWAYS calls him Nathan. WHY?
@ Katie. See, I was more thinking that no, Nate couldn't do it. At the same time, thief or no, asshole or no, Nate's the GOOD GUY. If he murdered his father in cold blood, he wouldn't be the good guy anymore. I think you're right that Nate was horrified by the idea of how easy it would be to shoot his father. But I think that Nate's problem was just that. He thought about how easy it would be to kill Jimmy, and that he was terrified of that side of himself. I also think there's that residual little kid in there, trying to find the red queen to please his dad... Just my thoughts.
Finally got to watch it on the TNT website. (Just to clarify, though we apparently were both cable-less last Sunday, the first Kris who posted and I are different people.)
Ya'll are on a roll over at Leverage HQ. Loving Parker more every episode. And I think I actually sat up straighter when I saw that Eliot and Parker were paired up; they're probably my favorite duo (although I could stand to see more Eliot+Sophie, too). "I hurried! And then I hurried again!" was a great line, and sneaking in a bit of exposition with comedy is always a win.
Much as I love a drawn out, extravagant fight scene, I get just as much of a kick out of seeing Eliot just smash a dude in the balls. I remember arguing with some of my friends about the last fight in GLADIATOR, in which I wished Maximus had given Commodus a groin shot. My friends didn't think this would be very manly, but I figured fuck that, Commodus just stabbed him in the kidney like five minutes ago. But I digress. I don't think the occasional low blow makes a character with established badass cred look less badass; I think it makes him look scarier or at least more effective. Go Eliot.
My question isn't really related to the episode. I assume it's been said before, but Christine Boylan has a GREAT voice for, well, anything. Listening to it on DVD commentaries has convinced me that Ms. Boylan has hidden grifter powers herself. True or false?
Favorite lines of this ep, Hardison to Eliot: "I just located the bad guy, identified him and found out what he wants. And what did you you do with your afternoon?"
Eliot to Hardison: "I know what I'm gonna do. . ."
Was it a conscious decision to make the team's wardrobe all black, gray and white colors (except when Sophie was playing the drunk)until they determined that they were going to take down Jimmy Ford? Nice touch.
no questions, just wanted to say thank you. both for the show itself and for this blog of yours. half the time i don't even realise i had questions until after i've read someone else asking and i immediately hear gir's voice in my head saying "oh yeah..." so thank you for giving us this space, so to speak.
(oh, and ita's use of "value-conscious" had me laughing out loud for real.)
tactoes = what's left over when you've used up your tics?
@Katie: Another question: Nate clearly never liked his father - didn't want to be like him - almost became a priest, then an insurance investigator, etc. Typical "backlash" story. He wouldn't have done that if he respected the guy.
Now in the denouement Nate, even though he couldn't or wouldn't shoot his father, has earned his father's respect. "I'm proud of you, son." Heck, Jimmy even says "maybe you are better than me."
OW!
I mean, given how he feels about Jimmy, is that something Nate really wants to hear?
I just hope Nate considers the source...
...but come to think of it, I'll bet Jimmy said that just to get under Nate's skin. Bastard. Nate is indeed not a nice guy, but at least he's trying to do the right thing. There's a special place in hell for guys like Jimmy.
P.S. How would Nate have felt if one of the families had managed to kill Jimmy in one of those drive-bys? No, Nate wouldn't have actually pulled the trigger, but...
@Zenkitty Oh, wait. Wasn't there a back door to Nate's apartment used in The Bottle Job? What happened to that?
In the Bottle Job, I thought Tara excused herself to go to the rest room, but then ducked out & through the back hallway. When she got up stairs, she entered Nate’s place through the front door.
I remember Eliot cutting through the wall in Beantown Bailout, but don’t recall anyone saying it was a wall to another apartment or if Eliot had just been in another room in Nate’s place.
@Anony First, when Jimmy goes into the safe to get the ledger, he says "(Name)"s ledger." I couldn't make out the name -- whose was it?
Thought he said “Artie Van’s” ledger, but I could be totally wrong.
@Tori Angeli …"geisha" bars. I don't think Eliot was abroad, and the woman certainly wasn't a geisha.
Thought Eliot said he was in Osaka (Japan) & met a Japanese policewoman at a geisha bar.
JOHN - just have QUESTIONS on 2 things that happened in this episode: Noticed when the Russians were scanning the evidence boxes, there was a timer on the leader’s device to let them know how much time remained to get things. After the gate closed & locked the men in, why did the device’s timer go from 01:01:00, to 01:00:00 then to 01:59:00 instead of 00:59:00? Any significance? Did Hardison maneuver that too?
Did Nate call the families to let them know his dad wanted cash for the ledger before or after he held the gun on Jimmy? If before, how did Nate know the families involved without seeing the all the info on the investigation boards in the Organized Crime office? Newspaper?
Thank you again for your help in clarifying all out questions!
Was Nate being so damn dense about the real target of the robbery because he was too close to the mark and suffering from flashback trauma (Meaning, was that intentional on the writers' part?)? I actually shouted "It's the Precinct!" at the TV at one point.
Trying to guess which of the earlier episodes in the season are tied to Moreau+Italian Woman storyline. In the Jailhouse Job episode Hardison mentions that Moreau finances the Russian Mafia. Is it possible that whatever was confiscated by the police were somehow part of Moreau's operation with the Russian Mafia? And well, getting those guys arrested probably affects Moreau in some way. Also, Eliot mentions that Moreau moves nuclear materials for Iran. So I would suspect that while Duberman wasn't really connected to Moreau, Manticore going down probably put a hitch in whatever plans Moreau had going on with Iran. Plus we already know that in the Schaharezade job that the envelope ties into the arc. How wrong am I?
After the gate closed & locked the men in, why did the device’s timer go from 01:01:00, to 01:00:00 then to 01:59:00 instead of 00:59:00? Any significance? Did Hardison maneuver that too?
It seemed like Hardison did that just before he revealed himself just to let them know that they got played.
Just saw the episode and had to think about it a while. Man. No wonder Nate is so full of self-loathing. And so hell-bent on self-sabotage. He couldn't let himself be happy with Maggie, he goes out of his way to screw things up with Sophie, and when the crew that started out as hired guns for a one-shot job start to become, however improbably, a family -- he keeps them at arm's length. All those years as a white knight were nowhere near enough to convince Nate that he deserves to be happy. That he is worthy of loving and of being loved. And being a black king? So far, it's not helping a lot. Not that there's much of anything that could wipe out the lessons he learned from Jimmy and his 3-card monte. What his head might tell him is one thing. What his psyche tells him is louder and more persistent, and I doubt that the Scotch is anywhere near enough to drug that hateful, angry, contemptuous voice out of his heart.
Pulling a gun on Dear Old Dad is probably the most therapeutic thing Nate's done for himself in his whole life. Beating Dad at his own game, then putting Dad on a boat for somewhere far far away? Distant second. WAY distant.
Oh, and by the way: Somewhere, sometime in the not too distant past, Dad shoved a gun in Nate's face exactly that way. Count on it. And sometime in his life, Nate looked at his father coming towards him and knew, just knew, that sure as God made little green apples, Dad was going to kill him.
Hmmm. Wonder if that close acquaintance with violence and mortality is the unlikely commonality that Nate and Eliot have between them. They clearly "get" each other. "I don't use guns. You know that."
Sophie, girlfriend -- run. Run like the wind. Or dig in, tie down anything that might get broken, and hang on tight. It's going to be a long and bumpy night.
John et al -- stunning, breathtaking work. Just..... yeah.
Oh, and one other little thing: Top Gun notwithstanding, I find it very depressing indeed to think that I'm the only one reading this fabulous blog who's old enough to remember Tom Skerritt from the original M*A*S*H, which by the way also featured Rene Auberjonois as Father John Mulcahy, 23 years before DS9?
HEY!! John, Dean, guys -- What are the chances y'all can get Rene as a guest star???
@Trilby, don't feel bad. I may not remember M*A*S*H well enough to know Tom Skerritt was in it, but I do remember why the theme song is called "Suicide is Painless" and what they did to find out if Hot Lips was a natural blonde. Does that help?
A friend of mine mentioned rewatching Picket Fences and drooling over Tom Skerritt. I directed her to the TNT Leverage site to watch the Three Card Monte Job. Hopefully I've converted her.
I'm watching the TNT marathon and caught something I missed the first time around.
In the first scene with Nate and his father, Jimmy mentions that Nate wasn't there when he got out of prison, and Nate says that it was because he was visiting his mother's grave.
Was Nate's mother's death a result of one of Jimmy's dealings?
I know you said you don't want to nail down the pasts or families of the characters, but that statement stood out there like something we were supposed to pick up.
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243 comments:
1 – 200 of 243 Newer› Newest»Was it awesome? :P
(I am cable-free. I must wait impatiently for it to be available online. It's sad when one of the exciting things about going on vacation and staying in a hotel is getting to see your favorite shows when they actually air.)
Thank you for Tom Skerritt as Big Jimmy Ford!
And is it wrong that I love Jimmy a little?
@Kris, yes. :)
from a whistleblower
i want to live in leverageworld
so that when the big bad
destroys the evidence
covers it up
lies
and finally resorts to character assassination
*nate will come up with a plan*
*sophie will finesse her way in*
*parker will get the goods*
*elliot will protect them all*
*and hardison will digitally record it*
who knew that doing the right thing
could cost so much
money
time
energy
friends
happiness
so tell me hardison
if i disguise my ip
and post anonymously
is that good enough?
because
i'm really not.
supposed.
to be.
talking.
to anybody.
Love Parker and Eliot as a team; the way she irritates him, and the crowbar to the head was priceless.
So, O'Hare, I'm guessing, is a reference to the mob guy in the season 2 opener; did the leverage team take down any of the other names mentioned?
The father/son flashbacks were very reminiscent of Psych. Was that an intentional shout out or just a coincidence?
That was...twisted. Twisted and excellent and possibly my favorite episode so far this season. Good gravy, as soon as I think I can live without Leverage, you guys go do something like this one.
I'm guessing we won't get any more details about Nate Ford's past -- he's his mother's son, eh? THERE is some space for speculation.
I can't think of a question right now, except, really -- what was Elliot smiling about? Comment -- more Sophie with Parker! They are such a COOL pairing!
OH! Question -- how did you guys fake the crowbar to the head thing? I mean, was it a fake crowbar, a feint, CG, a fake skull on Christian Kane, or is his head really that hard? I felt it!
A father telling his son that he doesn't have what it takes. Seems familiar.
AAaannnnd now I see why Nate is so twisted.
Jesus Murphy, this was good!
I may have missed this due to the fact that I was slightly distracted, but - what happened to the ledger? Did Jimmy Ford just hop on the boat with it in his pocket and the cops never saw the evidence again?
Loved it! I love Parker and Eliot as a team. The crowbar was great! I thought Hardison in the evidence locker was hilarious. And the way everyone looks at Parker when she tells them about the banks' security was wonderful.
Last but not least I love Tom Skerritt. Do you think we will see him again? Because that would be awesome.
Nice ep tonight - the way the con mapped out was just awesome. Loved the way you guys used the three card monte flashback to build up to the moment where Nate realized that Jimmy was after the precinct and then the extra twist with Jimmy really going after the ledger. That is leverage-y goodness!
Lots of great little moments too -Eliot vs. crowbar, Parker and Nate by the airshaft, Hardison thinking he's going down, Parker knowing everything about the banks, Sophie getting all daffy about trying to speak Russian - all awesome.
One of the best parts, though, was that in an ep that highlighted Nate's fractured relationship with his dad, you could really feel the family dynamic in the team in little subtle ways - the bickering at times, and that moment where Eliot called Nate out for getting mad at Sophie was so like an older son standing up for Mom. And yet they worked so seemlessly together on the fly, as the plan kept changing and they left the docks together at the end.
Tom Skerritt was very good, too - I actually felt really bad for him in the end when he was trying to phone the three families. Casting gets an A+ this season.
My only complaint is that we knew before it started who Nate was going to find in the bar.... dang promos!
This episode was awesome.
I liked how Hardison got the reason right for the third red phone, if not the particulars. He really is coming along, isn't he?
When Jimmy was talking about his wife, I wonder if Nate was thinking about Sophie . . . the parallel is perfect. Especially since, as you've said before, Nate isn't a nice guy.
I love, love, love that you're using so much more of Portland streets in these episodes. I actually knew where you had Nate and Sophie walking (Adler) because when I was there for ConCon.
They turned the corner to look at McRory's and I'm hoping that this'll get answered in an earlier Post-Game that I asked about the exteriors, but man tonight? That's got to be a physical location that's somewhere in Portland unless you guys really expanded that set. It looked FANTASTIC with that long hallway. I'm hoping it's a practical location though - I just want to know WHERE. Google Street View shows some other building where they're looking, but I know that could be years old and the way things change downtown...
Anyone in Portland want to help me out? It's Adler/Morrison/14th-16th street area. I *think* based on where Sophie and Nate were walking.
So is the character Moffat a nod too Doctor Who Writer among other accomplishments Steven Moffat.
Watching Tim Hutton and Tom Skerritt play off each other was like watching an Oscar nominated film. I am in awe.
Loved Popodokolous' (sp) return. He was one of my favorites from past episodes.
I had my doubts about Tom Skerritt as Nate's dad, but he was perfection. Seeing the dynamics between father and son explained a lot about why Nate's relationships with others can be so dysfunctional. I get the feeling Daddy Dearest won't be staying in Ireland permanently? I couldn't believe Nate trusted him to actually board the ship and sail off into the sunset without the team witnessing his departure.
Season 3 has been awesome so far. Belated congrats to all on a renewal for Season 4.
Ha ha. Moffat and Davies, very cute.
Why does the upstairs not have access to the back door?
Oh my...I just want to...I am not sure....I am so frazzled by Parker. On the spot, giggles, details, specs and probably an itemized list of what is in every vault in a 3 county area. LOVE to Beth, the people who write for her, awesomesauce to the extreme!
Teri
sesessi=lisping vampire saying you are "so sexy"
So when Hardison was talking about blowing a hole in the wall and Spidey-crawling out, is that actually an option? Seems like something the team would have planned after what happened to their last headquarters.
This isn't a question quite so much as a plea: do whatever you can to get the current season back on Netflix Watch Instantly, please? I don't have TNT on my television, and Flash-based internet viewing does not play well with either of the console-based web browsers I have hooked to my TV--I've tried with both (and watching TV on a computer screen just doesn't work too well for more than one person--my wife and I watch this show together). I promise I'll buy the DVDs when it comes out (already have season 1, and will get 2 before long), but that'll be ages off in the future. Even if there's a delay of a few days, I wouldn't mind!
I just watched the episode with my elderly parents, who were quite impressed with the show.
Of course, they missed a few lines when I felt compelled to shout, "Hey, I know that neighborhood!"
Nice involved setup; I did guess the target after the bar code reader was mentioned.
Nate's torpedoing of his father's comeback was really nicely done. But Skerritt has GOT to come back eventually, right?
'naterig': Something quickly contstructed by Nate, or course.
There were bits that seemed easy, like the coffee guy doping people. And when you showed everything the police confiscated from the Russians, I figured they'd want their stuff back. But I'm just happy to ride the fun train until all the pieces come together.
So, Nate comes by his bastardy legitimately...
I'm loving the reveals with the crew, or the bad guys, or whoever. It's like they suddenly appeared out of thin air. Y'all have used that really well this season, tonight included. My other favorite time was on Inside Job, when Parker runs into a room and the camera turns to show us the bad guy, who magically appeared just after Parker disappeared. Are the actors there the whole time, or do they run into scene while the camera is turned the other way?
wv: subtely. Well, that explains everything!
Did Nate just leave a pistol with his prints all over it in the Organized Crime office? Because it was still on the table as he was headed to the air shaft.
I was just wondering, since this episode dealt with the police, when our two favorite FBI agents, Taggert and Mcsweeten, were coming back?
Okay, so I just skipped first viewing of Mad Men to re-watch. There were a couple of little hitches, but the good stuff was so good, all the other stuff was very minor and nitpicky.
A few questions:
1) Beth totally almost cracked up in that scene where Parker and Eliot are sneaking up the warehouse. Parker is looking around furtively, looks offscreen, and a little smile appears that is quickly supressed. Do other cast members just stand offscreen making faces? (cause I could totally see this cast screwing with each other that way.)
2) The three Irish mob families probably have a fair amount of international ties. Do we see any of those names popping up later on. For instance, in connection with a big crime financier?
Oh, and one other thing: my impression is that sending a guy back to the old country is not exactly a way to avoid the attention of the Boston mob. Since the rest of the team didn't know that part of the plan, he presumably doesn't have a new identity yet (at least not to Hardison's standards), and even if it's done before he gets off the boat, he's going to have to lay really low to avoid everyone who would recognize him.
To the poster above about Nate's dad talking about his mom:
Actually, its different. Nate's mom wasn't a crook. Sofie is a crook. She and Nate do understand each other, which is where Nate and his father differ.
Davies and Moffat? Someone is going to catch unto Hardison's alias work one of these days. I am waiting for the day Hardison uses the aliases Waid and Rogers. Or Daniel Hartigan and Maximilian Daring. Can we please have an episode where Elliot uses Monkey Kung Fu? Or at least beat someone up who uses that.
Nate Ford, " I want to look him in the eye when I put him down " OK, I'm not going to sleep for a week
Great episode! Question though...the McTeague family mentioned in the episode, is that the same McTeague family who ran the McTeague Capital Investments in LA that Jack Hurley worked at in The 12-Step Job?
At what point are we going to be introduced to a character named Gardner? If we have Moffat and Davies, we surely need a Gardner.
I think this is an episode that requires multiple viewings. That's a good thing.
It was interesting how Nate's voice changed when he was around his dad - different, too, when he was around both his dad and the Russians. Nicely done, Mr Hutton.
In fact, I really enjoyed all of our regulars in this episode - the acting and the writing just seemed spot on. I'd definitely point people to this episode to give them a solid feel for who each of the characters are.
My question: You seem to have a long list of excellent actors who want to be on your show - so, basically, what was the thought process/casting process that lead you to Tom Skerritt as Jimmy Ford?
Thanks again for another great episode - and for answering all our questions week after week!
What happens to the ledger? Does Nate destroy it, and if so, does the Leverage team get the money?
Did Kane style his hair with a piece of broken glass? Elliot with another cheap strike to the groin, and please tell me that was a choke hold and not a tea-bagging! Eeeeew! Other than that moment of utter creepyness, loved the show. I am amazed how every week you and your crew pull off high quality entertainment on such a tight schedule
Bravo! And thank you !
Elliot with another cheap strike to the groin,
Hrm. I always thought there's no such thing as style points in Eliot's world; whatever works is good.
So is the character Moffat a nod too Doctor Who Writer among other accomplishments Steven Moffat.
Considering Davies is the other doctor who showrunner, it pretty much has to be
Looking forward to the inevitable Tennant and Eccleston ID's.
I was a little bit ahead of Nate on this one knew the precinct was the target. Did not see the ledger coming.
Wow. Tom Skerritt. I've always loved that guy, and he just fit right in here. I agree with whoever gave your casting dept an A+ for the season. I mean, Richard Kind, Richard Chamberlain and Tom Skerrit. Wow.
Love, love, love Beth having all those facts at her fingertips. "What do you guys do on your weekends" indeed.
All my questions have already been asked, so please be sure to tell us about the gun/fingerprints, why Eliot was smiling at the end and all about the crowbar to his head.
Loved the episode, as always. Congratulations to everyone for keeping such extraordinary quality on show after show after show. And thank you for that, as well.
And for this, of course.
Probably my favorite episode this season. Loved the shout out to Moffat & Davies. There was excellent chemistry between Hutton & Skerritt, and I too would very much like to see Jimmy make a return appearance.
So I noticed as he spent more and more time with Jimmy and the Russians, Nate's native accent became more and more pronounced, until he dropped it completely when he confronted his Dad at the police station. It was a subtle, yet effective way to demonstrate Nate's return to (and denial of) his roots. Was that written into the script, or was that Tim's idea?
Throwback question to 302: Was the 'trimmed a banzai' thing Eliot was talking about as filthy as it seemed or am I just a pervert? And is it just me or is Sophie a big sister to Eliot, well everyone except Nate?
Christina Lollobrigida said...
I love, love, love that you're using so much more of Portland streets in these episodes. I actually knew where you had Nate and Sophie walking (Adler) because when I was there for ConCon.
They turned the corner to look at McRory's and I'm hoping that this'll get answered in an earlier Post-Game that I asked about the exteriors, but man tonight? That's got to be a physical location that's somewhere in Portland unless you guys really expanded that set. It looked FANTASTIC with that long hallway. I'm hoping it's a practical location though - I just want to know WHERE. Google Street View shows some other building where they're looking, but I know that could be years old and the way things change downtown...
Anyone in Portland want to help me out? It's Adler/Morrison/14th-16th street area. I *think* based on where Sophie and Nate were walking.
- - - The bar is a set in their sound stage...it is unfortunately not a real place, not even a real bar just renamed for the show. I'm not sure where the physical building is but it would be kinda hard to find without that big sign hanging out in front. - - -
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Did Kane style his hair with a piece of broken glass?
- - - What is that supposed to mean anyway? The Make-up artists actually did a really good job on his hair. - - -
Elliot with another cheap strike to the groin, and please tell me that was a choke hold and not a tea-bagging! Eeeeew!
- - - Question: In what creepy part of the world do you live in? Ok, that came across more rude than expected but the question still holds. A groin hit is a quick and effective way to effectively take down your opponent, especially one who is standing on something...it worked. And of course that was a choke hold! In what episode has there ever been anything like that from any character, especially during a fight? None. I am glad you enjoyed the rest of the ep. - - -
Other than that moment of utter creepyness, loved the show. I am amazed how every week you and your crew pull off high quality entertainment on such a tight schedule
Bravo! And thank you !
Anonymous Oona said...
Okay, so I just skipped first viewing of Mad Men to re-watch. There were a couple of little hitches, but the good stuff was so good, all the other stuff was very minor and nitpicky.
A few questions:
1) Beth totally almost cracked up in that scene where Parker and Eliot are sneaking up the warehouse. Parker is looking around furtively, looks offscreen, and a little smile appears that is quickly supressed. Do other cast members just stand offscreen making faces? (cause I could totally see this cast screwing with each other that way.)
- - - I could see the cast and crew making each other laugh, between takes. I think Parker was just having a blast with this job. She cracked herself up, almost, when they were walking up to the warehouse, I believe she was talking about tasering the guy...she likes tasers. And then again when she was in the back of the truck "looking again" and sarcastically mimicking Eliot about the whole not throwing crowbars at peoples heads. My first instinct is to trust the actor and consider why the character may be doing what they are doing and not say that an actor(ress) goofed. Don't get me wrong sometimes, a lot of times, in other shows actors do and editing didn't remove all of it, but in this case I think she did it on purpose. - - -
Moffet and Davies! YES! I died a little fangirl death of glee at that one. Have you seen Moffet's new series Sherlock? I think it's brilliant. And any word on Moffet stealing Gina for an ep of Doctor Who yet? And if so, will Leverageverse implode from meta-confusion if Hardison uses Gina Bellman for a Sophie alias? Not that the plethora of former Star Trek actors hasn't already muddied those waters.
Anyway! My question on #309 is this: How did you decide on which direction to take Nate in emotionally throughout the episode? Was there a moment where things kind of came together and you knew how he'd react to his father in this situation and where he'd end up or was it a process of building the progression?
Christine did a great job writing this one. Dean directing too, this was the "A" team putting this one together! I had a friend say "Now that's why I like Leverage!", after the show was over was over. This was also a good episode for Tim to show more of what Nate can be if he stays sober and focused.
Questions: 1) Why not get a black box with 2 remotes? 2) They are being seen too much by the local police, aren't they afraid someone will remember them. 3) How is Jimmy going to retire with no money? This job was going to be his last. 4) What was the crowbar made of?
PS What did you think of the idea I messaged you on Facebook?
Thanks John
I guess I'm an anomaly. All the references to past shows and other shows blow right by me. I'm having too much fun watching the characters interact and get the job at hand done. Whether it's Eliot and Hardison messing with each other's heads or Eliot's annoyance at Parker (I agree, an annoyed Eliot is a funny Eliot), that's what makes the show fun for me. So here's my question: Does it disappoint you that I don't put all that effort into it? If it does I can promise to do better! LOL!
Tim Hutton did such a great job with this episode. I must say it was one of his best. He really made Nate shine this episode.
What happened to the phones to keep the cops from calling each bank to confirm that acutual bank robberies were underway before sending the whole force? Did I miss something?
Loved this episode!!!
I do have one question about McCrorys though. Hardison owns the building with the apartments and the bar in it but did he buy the bar itself? Or does the grateful owner allow them free run of the place? I remember last season them helping the ...daughter? granddaughter?... of the late previous owner. Just not sure of this point.
Throwback question to 302: Was the 'trimmed a banzai' thing Eliot was talking about as filthy as it seemed or am I just a pervert?
It was "trimmed a bonsai" as in one of those little bonsai trees. Which is what they used to distract Duberman, who collected Japanese art and artifacts. So you're just a pervert, but it's Eliot, so who isn't?
please allow me to join the squee-train over the code-names in this episode ..
apart from that, I have nothing to say right now.
I suspect that we'll be seeing that ledger again.
The question is, will we see Jimmy again?
Was discussing the episode with a friend and had a nebulous thought with a vague edge of question appear in my pre-caffeinated brain. Lemme wander until I get to it.
Ok, Nate is a nasty guy. Yet he declared the team his family. And he has a love/hate thing for his flesh-and-blood family, tons of conflict, a lot of memories of being treated like a schmuck by his own father (mother, I'm guessing, was the one who pushed him in the alterboy/priest direction). So, is that what underlines the whole love/hate thing Nate has for the team? He doesn't so much see them and care for them as the individuals they are but for the group they've become? (that doesn't even make grammatical sense to me, dammit.) Are we seeing Nate play out his family past or building a family he can, in some weird way, love? (I'd say going to prison to keep them out counts as a weird, twisted, hard to recognize kind of love).
Second thing -- not killing Jimmy, letting him go -- but taking away the respect he wanted -- yeah, worse than death, maybe, for a guy like Jimmy Ford. The elder Ford had no respect for his son because he thought his son was too soft, maybe too unlike him, and was even competitive with his son (maybe some rivalry about Mom in there?). So, was that the real queen in the cards, the one Jimmy didn't see Nate had hidden? Someone else pointed out that Jimmy has a life of staying hidden ahead. He can't go back to the Auld Country and be Big Jimmy Ford. That's some punishment.
Or did I miss something?
Third thing -- Mrs. Ford loved Jimmy, but didn't understand him. I get the feeling that once upon a time Nate loved his father but didn't understand him. Now he understands him but doesn't love him. Understanding him precludes any love. This almost seems to circle back to Nate's self-hatred and then takes the clubhouse turn back to Nate's issues with understanding himself and...I just made myself dizzy.
Either you guys are going WAY deep for this show, or you are doing a damn good job of planting stuff so the overthinkers in your audience will not sleep at night. Talk about back handed fan service!
"So, Nate comes by his bastardy legitimately..."
Had rewatched the First and Second David Jobs over the weekend. Nate really, really is not a nice guy. But the fun train keeps going and so I didn't really pay attention.
Holding a gun up to your (harda**) father though, wow.
And by the way, August 8 is Father's Day in Taiwan. The word for 8 is a sounds the same as the word for father.
So happy twisted Father's Day.
Another in a long line of episodes this season that was "Leverage" at its best.
I did figure out that Jimmy Ford (Skerritt) was going for the evidence locker way before the team. The way the flashbacks went to the "Three Card Monte" game (and knowing how that game works myself) just set it up that Jimmy's team was going for the police station. I did not see, however, Jimmy's alterior motive to getting the ledger for the Three Families.
Questions:
1) Sophie (Gina) seemed to be the "voice of reason" in this ep, stating several times to Nate (Tim) that he didn't have to be the one to take his father down. Will this have some "foreshadowing" of a future con where perhaps Sophie is in Nate's place?
2) Cora owns McRory's and is well versed in what the team does. I wouldn't think that she would allow anyone, even Nate's father, to set up shop there. Was there something we missed along the way?
3) Jimmy stated that, at one time, he was the best fixer in the city. Isn't that what Nate has become, albeit in a different sense?
By the way, Sophie whipping out handcuffs on call. You've probably sent fanfic writers into a frenzy with that one!
@ChelseaNH, Nate meant "trimmed a bonsai" in the actual trimming an ornamental shrub sense. Eliot, however, clearly meant it in the filthy sense. "Police woman in Osaka," remember? ;-)
I guess I'm in the minority, as I just couldn't buy Tom Skerrit as Nate's dad. Not Irish enough, I don't think.
That said, loved the episode and thought Tim did an outstanding job!
You lost me at the end with the ledger bit, though. I might have missed something, but I just didn't get it. (By it, I mean, why Jimmy went after it, not the stuff Nate did to screw with him)
2) The three Irish mob families probably have a fair amount of international ties. Do we see any of those names popping up later on. For instance, in connection with a big crime financier?
Or how bout those Russians? The M-somethingorothers are probably going to be a bit peeved with Nate and Daddy Ford, who they'll probably think was part of a double cross, no? No aliases to hide behind here - surely this one end up coming back to bite someone?
This was a good one all around, but i kinda wanted to see off the rails Nate. I know he's all bidness since jail, but he was almost too calm in the beginning. Off the rails Nate followed by Nate with shaking hands after almost shooting dad would have worked better for me.
Guess i just like spiraling Nate when i can get 'im.
Next week - Bruce Dern kicking Nate's ass and CK in miner gear. Bring it on! (Although every time I see Bruce Dern now, i'm waiting for him to dissolve into water. Damn X-men!)
No questions right now, just the usual kudos and "atta boy/girl" stuff. And a painful admission:
I was sitting there, feeling oh-so-smug for having figured out the target before Nate and crew. Then, I indulged in a slightly-superior "Oh, Nate" moment when his dad turned the tables. Like *that* wasn't gonna happen. And then...
...I was taken completely by surprise with the whole "ledger" angle. So much for smugness and superiority, lol. If Little Debbie made a "crow" snack cake, I'd be eating them by the boxful right now.
Thanks to all for another great show (and a lesson in humility *g*).
*Brought to you by the "Coalition To Remind Myself I'm Not All That", Rev. Trask, President (and sole member) and, as always, by Little Debbie.
Amidst all the tons of sheer awesomeness that is this ep, I think what sticks with me the most is the issue of family, of "real (blood) family" vs. "true family."
Throughout the episode, we saw Jimmy and Nate, blood family, go at it hammer and tongs, saw their twisted history and what its done to Nate, and saw Nate coldly plot to take down his father, who clearly had no qualms about doublecrossing his son. (And let me agree with the poster who said the line "I want to look him in the eye when I put him down" was chilling.)
But also throughout the ep we see his other family, the team, his true family, backing him up when they doubted his clarity or were pissed that he cut them out of the loop. It hit me most clearly at the end, when Nate leaves Jimmy no choice but to get on that ship, running his father out of town (after making him a target), then turns and finds his real family right there waiting for him.
I think I literally sighed at that moment. I know it made me ridiculously happy. So no real questions (the ones I had - gun w/fingerprints on cop's desk and what happened to the ledger - have been asked), just kudos for an outstaning ep and thanks for the happy sigh at the end.
Um, @Anonymous a couple up, I think you mean Bruce Davison instead of Bruce Dern.
Should we assume your retweet of the following is foreshadowing?
http://twitter.com/GreatDismal/status/20033888497
(aka jarodrussell)
Usually the victim who initiates the story gets rewarded in the end. But for this episode, there is no 'payback' for the victim. What's to stop the Russians from going after him? Is this an untied loose end for the episode? Just askin'
@SueN:Eliot, however, clearly meant it in the filthy sense. "Police woman in Osaka," remember?
He was about to get into a story about how she was a geisha, which I think is sufficient grounds to muddy your clear waters.
Besides which, I see no reason to doubt that Eliot has not only trimmed a bonsai tree, but done a stellar job of it. Because he's Batman.
I just have to tell you that the whole Eliot vs. crowbar was hilarious. I laughed so hard I missed the next couple of lines. Thank you for that. Also, Tom Skerritt has Ford hair. Or is that Hutton hair? LOL It's hard to tell the difference sometimes. Looking forward to next week's ep!
Um, @Anonymous a couple up, I think you mean Bruce Davison instead of Bruce Dern.
Ah, yes. . . although Bruce Dern could definitely get his freak on with this show. Crazy drug smuggler? Wickedly corrupt law man? Hmmm . . .
Yet another great episode, great job - awesome as usual! Loved how more of Portland's streets were worked in, I recognized several of the places. And, Parker knowing every single bank in that area? Amazing!
Questions: 1, who's idea was Parker's bad aim with the crowbar? I had to rewatch that part several times because I was laughing so hard (and cringing for Eliot, of course). 2, there's really only one way out of Nate's apartment? I admit I'm a bit surprised that they'd set themselves up to be trapped like that...
One more thing I just remembered: Nate's fight scene was brilliant! Did Christian coach him?
I thought the casting of Nate's dad was perfect. I would never have thought of them resembling each other before, but then that scene where they had a large picture of Jimmy Ford on the screen and Nate was standing in front of it (or maybe behind it, I can't recall) and the lines around their mouths and the lines between their foreheads were exactly the same and I thought it was perfect.
I, too, loved the scene wit Eliot and Parker breaking into the warehouse. I laughed out loud when he got hit in the head with a crowbar. A Wolverine/Kitty relationship indeed.
Also-- The best scene of the night for me was Nate and his Dad conning the guy for the papers from his briefcase. It seemed a really complex moment, because it was obvious that both Nate and his father enjoyed working together and yet Nate was trying to take down his father and deny that he had anything but contempt for him.
Moffet and Davies? I love finding the Doctor Who homages - as I assume that is what those were.
You also keep saying Nate is a bad, bad man, and yet he's not arrived in bad-town yet. He burned his own father, yes, but didn't shoot him, or send him back to jail, or let him steal fake evidence. Maybe he's not as bad as you want us to think?
Kane tweeted : "don't know if ur a Top Gun fan but u might wanna watch @leverage tonight."
I missed the Top Gun reference. What was it?
I agree with Dea - The shot of Nate standing looking at his father and the picture of Jimmy superimposed on the glass in front of Nate was beautiful. I also agree that Tim Hutton played the conflict/anger/etc. so convincingly.
At the risk of having a former poster go postal at me - when we have seen Eliot either do the choke hold or whatever....aren't we also hearing a little "crunch" sound? I don't want to think that I'm watching him kill someone but the crunch gets me every time!
@ Red -
Tom Skerritt was the school commander in the movie "Top Gun".
Leverage was brilliant last night! Tom Skerritt as Nate's dad was great casting. I loved that you didn't shy away from making Jimmy a complete bastard, and that you didn't lay on any lovey filial reconciliation crap at the end. Nate didn't even blink at taking the chance that one of the families would shoot at the old man and not miss. It's easy to see now how Nate ended up exactly how he is. And just how gloriously messed-up was Jimmy's last line? His son is more ruthless and cruel than he is, and he's proud of him! Sadly, I don't think Nate got a warm fuzzy feeling from finally making his dad proud. And then Sophie tells him he was kind. Ha! If "kind" is defined as "exiling your dad to the old country instead of shooting him in the face", yeah, Nate's a sweetie.
Also liked Eliot's little chuckle after Parker wondered if Nate was gonna be nice now. Oddly, I think Eliot "I'm Gonna Punch Somebody" Spencer is the least messed-up of the whole crew.
My question is, how did Hardison get out of the evidence locker before the door locked without being seen? Maybe I'll catch the answer when I watch the episode again... shortly.
So Cora nor Frank the Bartender mentioned "Hey, Nate, Jimmy's back in town." And no one noticed a big production going on in the poker room? I'd almost think that Hardison would be scanning everyone who walks thru the bar doors in case cops, feds, or crooks walk in.
Who chose the music for this episode? It was seamlessly perfect for each scene.
No question here, just wanted to pop in and say hi. I'm a new fan this season. Heard from a lot of people that if I liked Burn Notice I should try Leverage, so I caught up with the reruns on TNT during the hiatus. Now I'm the one telling more and more people to watch.
Thanks for an incredible show. I'm now thoroughly obsessed. You guys should teach a class for other showrunners and actors on how to successfully interact with fans. I'm spoiled now...I want a blog like this for all of my favorite shows.
@ChelseaNH, Oh, trust me, I have no doubt that Eliot could trim a bonsai even while, eh, trimming her bonsai. And pouring a damn fine cup of tea, to boot.
Because, yes, he is just that good.
Ok, so I dont own a DVR and my internet sucks so much I don't torrent, so I only remember what my short-circut brain decides to let me, but I do think I remember this: There were no beginning credits? You know, the whole schtick with "We provide leverage" and the whole hitter, hacker, grifter, thief, MASTERMIND (you guys really gotta change that back, btw) scroll.....Why?
Question 2: Listening to the music during the end credits, who is that instrumental by? It is very reminiscent of 'FX/The Series' from way back in the day. Was that an inspiration, was is the same composer, or am I again way out there like Pluto?
@Kimmie, re: the ledger
That ledger had belonged to another bookie/loan shark who turned it over to the cops when he turned state's evidence against the Irish mob, and contained proof of various nefarious doings by said mob.
Jimmy wanted it so he could turn it over to one of the three mob families and thus earn his way back into their good graces by stealing the evidence from the cops and hamstringing, if not destroying, the cops' case against them.
Now, what Nate did was to get to the families before Jimmy and tell them that Jimmy wanted to sell them the ledger rather than giving it to them, essentially blackmailing them. Which no good mobster likes. Hence, Nate made his dad a target. (Lovely family, no? *g*)
Does that make sense?
@JoJoDancer:
What happened to the phones to keep the cops from calling each bank to confirm that acutual bank robberies were underway before sending the whole force? Did I miss something?
When the alarm goes off, the cops don't call ahead. They just go. If it's a real bank robbery, it's unlikely that anyone will A) answer the phone, B) be happy at the time wasted on the call.
Maybe its my tv, but the eyes on young Nate look brown. And Tim's are blue. Oversight?
Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't all the flashbacks in either black & white or sepia tones? Hard to determine eyecolor from that.
He was about to get into a story about how she was a geisha, which I think is sufficient grounds to muddy your clear waters.
I kept wondering what a geisha bar is, as geisha aren't prostitutes, but closer to WAY high-class social liaisons. Then I googled the term and found a few themed bars that were called "geisha" bars. I don't think Eliot was abroad, and the woman certainly wasn't a geisha. Either way, that's probably what he meant. I loved how he started getting into an irrelevant story Nate clearly did not want to hear.
WONDERFUL episode. If you were going for helping us understand Nate better, you sure did it. I actually like that he treats his team the way his dad treated him. Means he really does think of them as family. It's just mean, yeah. But I think they've taken a deep breath and accepted it's his way of telling them he loves them.
...*goes to find insulin*
@Video Beagle said, "I'd almost think that Hardison would be scanning everyone who walks thru the bar doors in case cops, feds, or crooks walk in."
Were this true, The Italian would never have gotten into Nate's bedroom. See, this is what happens when good hackers read comics by a certain comic book writer. Hypersigils of secret base infiltration are more dangerous than people realize.
Oh, wait. Wasn't there a back door to Nate's apartment used in The Bottle Job? What happened to that?
LarryFleming said...
Christine did a great job writing this one. Dean directing too, this was the "A" team putting this one together! I had a friend say "Now that's why I like Leverage!", after the show was over was over. This was also a good episode for Tim to show more of what Nate can be if he stays sober and focused.
Questions: 1) Why not get a black box with 2 remotes? 2) They are being seen too much by the local police, aren't they afraid someone will remember them. 3) How is Jimmy going to retire with no money? This job was going to be his last. 4) What was the crowbar made of?
- - - With the ~$2 Mill that was confiscated along with the goods. But in all honesty he wasn't going to retire, he was trying to get his job back. - - -
@Zenkitty714, considering that they cut a whole from one apartment into Nate's in "The Beantown Bailout Job", there should be another door. However, I'd be willing to bet, during the six months Nate was in prison, when they converted his apartment into their offices, Hardison sealed up that door for security purposes.
First time poster, long time fan … ;)
Brilliant episode. It’s definitely one of my favorites. Hutton pulled off Nate's reactions perfectly.
A few (or more … ) questions:
1) How old was Nate when his Mom died?
2) Was it Jimmy’s fault that she died?
3) Do people really ever do the Three Card Monte by switching out the queen? This fit in nicely with the plot (and I loved that you didn’t really reveal the trick), but when I learned this trick the queen was always among the cards on the table, just not where ...
4) Watching this reminded me about a scene from the Two Horse Job: At the beginning of the poker game in that episode, did Hutton do the hot-shot cut himself or was it someone else?
5) Was this Jimmy Ford's first "job" since he got out of prison? When did he get out of prison, and how long had he been in?
6) Has Nate been estranged from his dad since he went of to priest school? Or did Maggie make sure they kept in touch for Sam’s sake?
7) It seems that Nate sees it as a weakness that he “only” ran his father out of town and didn’t put him in jail. What does the rest of the team think? It was Parker’s “Is Nate gonna be nice now” comment at the very end of the episode that confused me. She seemed to so get him in that scene where she came to get Nate out of the police station (btw, I loved that parallel to the times when Nate went easy on her because he got why she made the choices she did), but she seemed to so not get him with that last comment. Why was it so weird that Nate “just” ran his father out of town and didn’t put him in jail? The team doesn’t always put the bad guy in jail they sometimes have alternate punishments.
Thanks, as always, for indulging our Leverage obsessions ;)
So, I'd asked a couple of eps ago if you guys ever considered writing one without the flashbacks explaining their scams, then you went and did it. So, asked and answered, I guess.
I generally don't like Sophie's more broad American accents, but "Mañana? No, that's Spanish!" was almost as good as "We meet on internet."
So was the Mob ledger "black box" and was the police security alarm black box "ledger"?
Oh yeah, I forgot: Nate leaves his gun on the table in the Organized Crime office. Question: WTF?
Sheriff Jimmy Brock!! I mean...Tom Skerritt! Woo!
I'm always amused when you throw in Con names (Orphan Annie, Pill) - are the names really so common that all the team would know them without asking or is just a nice shorthand way to show they're cut from the same cloth?
Would make Parker's beautiful black leather jacket?
This took at least two viewings to get the full benefit. At first I was not sure about the Tom Skerrit casting but when I watched him work with Tim Hutton (esp. on re-watch) they made a great match.
I agree with whoever mentioned that their father/son conversations were painful and that was the point. Even at their friendliest you could tell that Jimmy Ford was a nasty SOB.
Loved, loved, loved Sophie's grifts this episode! "Viola D'Agostino" had me rolling, even before she came back with Jimmy Papadokulus in tow. The 'Little Orphan Annie' scam was also brilliant. Nice lift of the apron by Parker, even before Sophie asks. She's really starting to get with the rhythm of the team.
Does Parker's line at the end ("I know") when she finds that Nate let Jimmy go relate to her own experience with Archie? Leach was not as nasty as Jimmy but he was still not the warm fuzzy type.
A couple small questions:
First, when Jimmy goes into the safe to get the ledger, he says "(Name)"s ledger." I couldn't make out the name -- whose was it?
Second, when he looks at the boards with pictures of the three Irish mob families, there's one of what appears to be the same dark-haired man in sun glasses on two of them, positioned so we'd notice him. Are we seeing previews of coming Moreau, perhaps?
Thanks, as always for your time and the great stories!
Little!Nate is cute, now we need to see little!Sophie. Next season, please?
@Christina Lollobrigida : I hope you're making a Google map of all the locations you've spotted!
It's been said before, but - poor Nate, growing up with that dad. No wonder he started out as an altar boy and then tried to work on the law's side.
And poor Sophie - she has to be mom not just to the team, but to Nate as well.
Funny thing though, Nate's crazy schemes always do seem to work out somehow, while everyone else is rolling their eyes and saying "not again." This is becoming a little bit annoying. I'm reminded of Eureka, where everyone always says "Carter, that can't be right" even though Carter has nearly always had at least a piece of the puzzle.
@Sullivan, Nate's schemes don't always work out; any number of times they've had to improvise a "fix" on the fly. "Three Strikes" comes glaringly to mind, as does "Zanzibar Marketplace." So the team's entitled to some eyerolling, esp. when Nate seems just a tad too emotionally invested.
1) It occurs to me that most of Nate's back story was about trying to reconcile the "bad things" his father taught him to do with some "doing good" drive. Was the insurance co. incident just the final straw of a series of incidents when witnessed people claiming to be good actually hurting people (being bad), leading him to choose to "do good by being bad" instead of "doing bad by being good?"
2) Any chance we will go back to Nate's journey as a priest? I suspect Nate saw something seriously off in seminary? Which also prompts me to ask, would you ever go anywhere near the subject of pedophilia scandals in Boston, or would you rather be boiled in BP crude?
Just comments: I was actually surprised when Nate let his father go, but that made the blackmail reveal so much fun to watch. But what really shocked me was that while Nate was holding a gun on his father, he was so calm—many, many levels of creepy calm. Bravo Tim Hutton! Skerritt was dead red as Jimmy--his accent sounded very real (only coming out strong in certain words), and Tim's voice changed when he was with him, just like your accent would slip out more around your family. Leverage just keeps getting better and better every ep. You guys are doing more than clicking on all cylinders--you're burning rocket fuel. Way to go!!
Thanks for taking the time to sort out all these questions.
Even at their friendliest you could tell that Jimmy Ford was a nasty SOB.
I've watched three times now, including scene by scene for the recap, and I don't remember any actual human warmth in Jimmy Ford. I'm inclined to think he's a raging narcissist. The only reason he's proud of Nate at the end (assuming he's not just feeding Nate a line of BS) is because he's proud of what he made Nate into.
The whole bit with Nate and the gun was just odd. Really, I'm supposed to believe that Nate hates his father so much that shooting him is in the realm of possibility? When the team has never included murder in any of their plans before? Plus, of course, Nate was so steady while the gun was drawn. And would Nate think that his father would buy the threat? So, just an odd approach to the situation.
Hi! Thanks, as usual, for making great TV. Double thanks for featuring Nate Ford, the character of my dreams, played by one of my lifelong favorite actors. (My best friend, who lusts after Skerritt, was just as happy this week.)
I have a couple questions, one general and one specific.
I've noticed when rewatching the episodes in season 1 and 2 on DVD, the cons seem more obscured, the execution flashbacks more hint than explanation. They require you to watch carefully. By contrast, in this episode I guessed the gag based on the map graphic with arrows leading to the three banks and away from the police precinct. I feel that this season there's been more explication and less room for inference. Am I wrong? If not, is there a reason for that choice?
Second, when in the con did Nate make his choice about throwing his dad to the three families? I replayed the flashback and couldn't identify the room. (My fave personal explanation was that he threatened him with the gun as a frying pan to distract from the giant fire Jimmy was about to enter, hence the "I had to let him go (so the trap could snap)" but that's because I like to think of Nate as infallible.)
As always, thanks for your time and attention!
@Anonymous
"Elliot with another cheap strike to the groin"
Hello? If your groin is open, you should get hit. It's not cheap. It's value-conscious.
@Zenkitty714
"I think Eliot "I'm Gonna Punch Somebody" Spencer is the least messed-up of the whole crew"
Nah, Hardison for the win. He's not battling any demons.
@kathy432
"but the eyes on young Nate look brown. And Tim's are blue. Oversight?"
Why would that be a problem?
Sir,
I am quite pleased with this week's episode. Good work as usual for everyone and you in Leverage production.
I have to ask this: Jimmy Ford mentions to Nate that they have some "pretty cousins" in Ireland. My question is, are they, the cousins, also involved in crime? Is this a setup for future storyline and will we expect to see Nate's Irish (and distant, I suppose) cousins sometimes in the future?
Also, considering the fact that Nate's grandfather, as Jimmy stated, came into America, what decade would the Ford have come into the America? I'm guessing somewhere in late 19th century to early 20th century.
Thanks for another great episode, everyone.
--
Jon S.
Irish Whiskey, anyone?
This has nothing to do with this ep (we won't get season 3 around here for the foreseeable future), but just thought I'd mention it.
In the #304 answer post, you mentioned:
Downey was working on this high concept idea. "I want to do a totally silent heist set to music only. Classical music. Timed to that piece of classical music."
Which reminded me forcefully of one of the most brilliant moments in Danish heist movie history (yes, there is such a thing), a job set back stage at the Danish Royal Theatre during (and timed to) the Ouverture to Elverhøj, the (rather staid) national play.
Olsen Banden ser Rødt (1976).
This was one of the best this season! The con was original, it was personal for Nate and that's always interesting and makes for the best dramatic episodes. I also thought the directing of Dean Devlin was superb. Nice camera moves. Also loved the Irish soundtrack. It was great to see some more Nate and Sophie scenes this time, I love their connection, how they care about each other and are there for each other. Is there any chance we get a nicer Nate once he and Sophie get together? Would love to see a softer side of him with Sophie. He has that inside of him and Sophie is the one to bring it out of him.
Don't get me wrong, I like Tom Skerritt, and he was a good fit for what we knew about Jimmy, but oh sweet jeebus that was a bad accent. The Boston "townie" accent is one of the hardest American dialects to imitate. Generally, I prefer that actors not try rather than doing it badly.
Moffat and Davies. Whovians is the hiz-ouse! (Ahem. Sorry, I won't do that again. [/waytoowhite])
I'll probably have questions after I rewatch. For now I'm just reveling in the crunchy plot goodness. :)
@SueN
Thanks, that's a great concise explanation! I did go back and watch again, it made a lot more sense the second time.
Which is, I suppose, a lesson: Do Not Tolerate Distractions While Leverage Is On
@andy See, this is what happens when good hackers read comics by a certain comic book writer.
As we've discussed, in the Leverageverse, said certain comic book writer is a tech writer on par with Lewis Shiner on Gibson
I must say, I adore this show. I always love the little cons they do, but when you dive into family and the characters' pasts, those are always my favorite episodes. The Inside Job and now this episode have got to be my two favorite episodes so far. You get so deep with the characters, and I love seeing how they evolved and became who they were.
That said, I hope we see an Eliot-based episode like this. Because I adore Eliot to pieces.
I seem to be one of the few who didn't know of Tom Skerritt before this episode (and I've seen Top Gun, but I couldn't have picked him out of a lineup) but I must say that the character interactions between Jimmy Ford and Nate were absolutely brilliant. Kudos to everyone. Serious kudos.
The one question I have is this; this is the second season and the second year the team has been in Boston, and a lot of their jobs have been in the city. They've ventured some distances (Ukraine in season 2, other cities in Massachusetts, and I think Vermot in The Gone-Fishing Job) but because they're not moving a lot, doesn't that mean they've made a lot of enemies in their base town? Are they worried about not just the cops but other criminals and villians in the city recognizing them and muddying up the waters?
Also (I think this has been asked) are we going to see more of Jimmy Ford in the future? And Taggart and McSweeten are always fun to see.
That's all for now. Keep up the good work! I'll be rooting for you!
@Video Beagle, you misunderstand me. The writer in question has nothing to do with this, except that we know Hardison reads those books. It's the character in one of those books that I think may be infecting Hardison. Not having a camera on the back door to watch for people using the back room is a page right of The Killing Joke.
@SKEMERGrrl
So we've seen Nate's dad (his mom has passed on). Parker and Hardison were foster kids. Sophie has never mentioned her family. Eliot has mentioned a nephew and he even went back to his hometown for the "Two Horse Job". Does Eliot see his family? He seems like the only one that does. Will we see them?
The whole bit with Nate and the gun was just odd.
That's a good question - my husband kind of balked at that moment, too. Nic had a good idea that maybe Nate did it to distract dad.
But I don't think we were ever supposed to think Nate would do it. His dad certainly didn't. I think maybe it was just meant to show how angry and betrayed he felt. He'd just spent a day where his dad appeared impressed by his skillz and they bonded at the bar late into the night, and then found out dad had played him big time.
What do say you on that one, Rogers and I also wondered when he came up with the retirement plan?
Also, when Jimmy says "I could do it but you can't" - is he referring to being able to shoot someone in general or being able to shoot a member of the family in particular? Which also made me wonder, has Nate ever had to kill anyone before as an insurance investigator? We know he carried a gun.
Was the redhead that shot at Jimmy from the Iceman Job gang? Looked like the same thug.
Also, loved the gag reel on season 2 DVD but missed the deleted scenes. The reverse was true for season 1 DVD. Can we have both for season 3 DVD? Please?
A million thanks!
Michelle
@ Anonymous (6:30 pm)
RE: the card cut on the "Two-Horse Job" - I think the commentaries said that Apollo Robbins did much of the card tricks on that shoot. I think on "The Top Hat Job" Tim Hutton did the trick either with the cards or the poker chips....I think that's what I remember.
Parker's knowledge of all the banks in the Boston area is just ... so full of win I can't even describe it. Excellent job. Loved how she was laughing at the banks' security systems (jokes, really, for a thief like her).
Also, Sophie's rant about thieves who muscle honest citizens into doing their dirty work was great. It's a wonderful insight into her character. "We chose crime, Andre didn't."
God, I really hope there are bad guys like this out in the world. Working for a good cause, I mean.
Also, LOVED Parker's line at the end: "Does this mean Nate's going to be nice now?" And Eliot's resulting grin/chuckle. Jimmy's wave of respect to the team at the end was also appreciated.
Actually, let's just say I greatly appreciated this whole episode. FTW
But I don't think we were ever supposed to think Nate would do it. . .I think maybe it was just meant to show how angry and betrayed he felt. He'd just spent a day where his dad appeared impressed by his skillz and they bonded at the bar late into the night, and then found out dad had played him big time.
I disagree about this. I think we should realize the chance that Nate would actually shoot his Dad was 50/50, and his Dad was underestimating him. Perhaps it's because I have my own dysfunctional family issues, but I can easily imagine that during the "bonding at the bar" session Nate was just seeing his Dad work the same old con he always worked--on his own son--and was to the point beyond rage, where it's easier to consider killing someone in a very cold light, like putting down a sick animal. Just MO.
Hello? If your groin is open, you should get hit. It's not cheap. It's value-conscious.
I think the use of "value-conscious" in this statement has to be my favorite use of that concept ever.
Bit of a flashback question, but applicable now because of the content of this ep - did you intend from the very beginning to reveal Nate's 'dark' side? Just wondering because I re-watched the pilot today and there was SO MUCH emphasis on how he was the "white knight"/"honest man" in that episode.
@kimmie, you're more than welcome!
And I've been known to threaten my family with bodily harm if they distract me during Leverage. *g*
@Ally
I'm glad I'm not the only one who considered that idea. Nate doesn't strike me as the kind of guy who'd pull a gun against a rival, especially one personally tied to him, especially one who's just embarrassed him in front of his partners and screwed up his con, unless he 1) was gonna shoot the guy or 2) the capitulation was instrumental to a larger game. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's my hope.
While I'm commenting another text wall here anyway, let me close the "@Ally" part of this and pre-emptively cram the ballot box of NO where it comes to Nate's niceness. I've noticed Parker has been the voice of Nate's arc in the season ("Is it me or has Nate gotten a little...sadistic since he's been sober?" and so on) and while jokes are great, a genuinely "nice" Nate Ford would make me sad in my special angry place. I have the same Weltschmerz about that as I do about the phrase "sober Nate Ford".
There are tons of shows where crack teams help downtrodden clients on both sides of the law. Leverage is my favorite because it commits to its antihero geniuses and their unsuitability to human society. It doesn't tell us Nate's a bastard, it shows us he's a bastard. It doesn't wrap up the addiction arc in a two-episode package with an After School Special ribbon. It doesn't show addiction as an act, but as weather generated by a character's psychological climate--if the climate's still there, the storm'll show up somewhere. You have no idea the giddy little dance I did when Nate started drinking again and didn't take it in the teeth from the Network-TV Karma Fairy. When Sophie went rogue and nobody screamed the house down. When Parker dragged them into the worst security system in history and they rolled with it.
They are not normal people, and I love them as they are. Even (perhaps especially) when they're not nice.
I disagree about this. I think we should realize the chance that Nate would actually shoot his Dad was 50/50, and his Dad was underestimating him.
Possibly, but i'm still on the fence. Nate is definitely cruel in ways Jimmy didn't anticipate but he's also still got that altar boy in there, and I think the altar boy might win every time in that situation. It was definitely the altar boy that sent him to Ireland instead of to prison. With a little bit of the thief and mastermind adding a bounty on his head, but still. I betcha Jimmy prefers Ireland to dying behind bars.
I could be misreading, so I definitely hope Rogers will comment on what Nate would have been capable of there. Pretty please?
Also, is there some behind the scenes significance to the name Logue?
Also, was it just me or did the boards in the organized crime room maybe have some little tidbits in it relevant to our big bad for the season?
And it occurs to me . . .could there be a Moreau-related reason that Nate let Jimmy go or do I need to put down the crack pipe?
And also again, I loved this one a whole whole lot. I may start calling it schmoopy when we're alone. You guys rock.
@Ally
We saw nate usinga gun in the First David Job, but I personally don't think he really intended to kill. It was more of a plot he used to advance the con. I can't imagine Nate using a gun against his dad, seriously!
Long time lurker, finally posting. The discussions about the bar bonding and the gun scenes are really making me think deeper. Maybe too deep, but that's the joy of this show.
The bonding scene with Nate and his father at the bar. I know it started off with Nate conning his father into believing he wanted to be like him. I haven't yet figured out how it ended... Did Nate buy into his father's wishes to retire, drop guard and actually get conned? Or did he continue his con, only to get outconned by dear old dad? I lean towards the later, it's subtle, but telling.
Second, the whole gun scene. Jimmy would have outright shot Nate had the roles been reversed, he even said as much. Jimmy isn't just a bastard, he's a heartless bastard. When Nate said he couldn't, it was more saying he couldn't BE his father. Instead, he went 'Nate' on him. Set him up so that everyone else would kill him, AND took away his respect. It's elegant, and far crueler (and maybe it's the protestant in me, but so much more Catholic). The out to Ireland, well, that just seems to show that little bit of heart he does have. I guess that's the question - does Nate have a weakness, or a heart?
LynnM
I guess that's the question - does Nate have a weakness, or a heart?
I'm going to go with "yes".
I really haven't thought of much to say, apart from: loved Skerritt. Moar?
Oh, and:
Kris:
I think the use of "value-conscious" in this statement has to be my favorite use of that concept ever.
Word.
@Murphy – So sorry you never saw Picket Fences. Tom Skerritt was great in that series.
Absolutely LOVED this episode! Tom Skerritt – on the money, FABULOUS casting!! What a stellar third season so far. Also, I agree w/the others - Dean’s shot of Nate through the screen w/Jimmy’s face on it was phenomenal!!!
Although I’m looking forward to next weeks’ Underground Job (ep 10), after seeing the 11th episode is the Rashomon Job (after 1950 classic film) – I’m more anxious for it. Can’t wait to see all the team members recall how they each tried to pilfer the same artifact on the very same night five years ago.
QUESTIONS: 1) What happened to the ledger? Jimmy had it when the mob took a shot at him, but didn’t see him w/it at the dock - even when he turned to go to the boat; 2) The ledger on the mob – big connection to Moreau?; 3) Will Leverage break after episode 12 or 13 before the final episodes for season three are aired in December & early January?; 4) Ever find out if Noah’s (Tim's son)picture was used for Drake McIntyre in the
Reunion Job yearbook?; & 5) Any hints as to who is cast for the role of Moreau??????
Thanks again for your patience & assistance with this blog, John. We appreciate all you do for us. Also, you’re just adorable!!!!!!!!!
Dawn/StL-MO
I noticed that last night's White Collar involved an insurance company called Sterling Bosch.
Shoutout to our guy?
Hmmm...
@Nic said: You have no idea the giddy little dance I did when Nate started drinking again and didn't take it in the teeth from the Network-TV Karma Fairy. When Sophie went rogue and nobody screamed the house down. When Parker dragged them into the worst security system in history and they rolled with it.
They are not normal people, and I love them as they are. Even (perhaps especially) when they're not nice.
THIS! I also love that they do not regret their lives of crime and do not see anything wrong with doing bad to do good.
I love my little team of happily unrepentant criminals just the way they are, bent and broken and utterly okay with that. *g*
I guess that's the question - does Nate have a weakness, or a heart?
Both. But his heart isn't his weakness. It's his strength. You can't know what the other guy's gonna do if you don't know why. And if you don't have a heart yourself you ain't ever gonna figure Nate out, even when he's being a crook.
premots: Jokes you tell before the big one
Looking at Hardison and Eliot's reactions to Parker's question of whether or not Nate will be nice from now on, is the crew now accepting Nate's jerkness as a somewhat endearing quality that betrays his fondness for them?
I mean, they've seen his dad now, and Nate treats his "kids" (especially Hardison) the way he's been taught is how you treat your kids.
Wow, that was wordy.
I don't think Nate ever intended to shoot his dad. He was just setting him up to think he'd gotten away with taking the ledger. Otherwise, there would have been no reason to tell The Families that Jimmy was planning on selling it to them. Nate was all shaken up afterward because, for one thing, he just held his dad at gunpoint, and also he was sending him out there to possibly be killed. When Parker said, "you let him go" she wasn't questioning why Nate hadn't shot him, she was sympathizing because he had just sent his dad out to really be shot at by the real bad guys.
I did wonder why Nate would leave the gun behind, but then I thought that maybe he hadn't brought it with him, but just liberated it from somewhere in the station. It's got to be easier to find a gun when you are already in a police station than it is to bring a gun in with you.
The one thing I really question is would all the cops in that division really have left the office empty for the amount of time it took for Jimmy to sneak in and steal the ledger and for Nate to pull a gun on him? Seems like someone would have stayed there no matter what was happening.
OK, I'm not really sure there was a question in all that, but if you can find one, feel free to answer it. :)
@SueN - THIS! I also love that they do not regret their lives of crime and do not see anything wrong with doing bad to do good.
I love my little team of happily unrepentant criminals just the way they are, bent and broken and utterly okay with that. *g*
---
Where I break down on that a bit personally, was in the Boost Job, where you have an aspiring car thief that they gently turn away from crime. She had made the choice to be a criminal, initially and only the Leverage group's influence moved her away from that.
Between that and Sofie's speech about not forcing innocents into crime, it makes me think that at some level none of the team are really all that comfortable with themselves. Or maybe it's just a recognition of Society in general being larger and more influencial?
@Emery
I don't think the girl was so much wanting to be a car thief as wanting to be a part of the gang that just happened to steal cars. They weren't really teaching her the trade, she was just the flunkie who ran errands.
As for Sophie's speech, they were just doing what they always do. Helping innocents caught up in situations beyond their control.
That's my read anyway.
Personally, I thought it was fascinating to hear a speech about the evils of taking away people's free will from Sophie "Neurolinguistic programming" Devereaux.
I can't help but think that, deep down, her real objection to the Russians' methods is that they're inelegant.
I wasn't paying much attention to Hardison's lack of escape route from the building; I was busy admiring his priorities. It was so Hardison, taking his laptop, bundles of cash... and a bottle of orange soda. FTW.
@Emery, Parker's problem with Josie hanging out with the car thieves wasn't that she was hanging out with thieves and learning the business, it's that she knew those guys didn't care about Josie and would be just as quick to leave her to the cops as Kelly had Parker. Remember her line, "They're not your family"? And she was more than willing to tutor Josie in boosting.
And Sophie's objection was to innocent people being forced into crime against their will rather than choosing it on their own, as she did.
None of them has ever expressed any regret for being criminals. Eliot has possibly come closest, showing hints of guilt at some of the things he's done, but not for his life in general. Hardison and Sophie seem perfectly okay with what they are, and Parker doesn't even seem to realize that what she does is wrong. To her, honest people are the anomalies. And none of them are trying to go straight. Even when Sophie made her stab at being an "honest citizen," it was with a storage unit full of stolen loot.
I think now, as "criminals for the common good," they've found a way to have their cake and eat it, too.
@micah, Neurolinguistic programming isn't mind control. It seems to be suggestion. Peoples' minds pick up on the suggestion and follow it as if it's their own idea. Free will remains untouched. You can't neurolinguistically program someone to do something they wouldn't ordinarily want to do. You can make them have positive or negative associations with things, but you can't make 'em jump off a cliff. For example, Eliot clearly had no problem with pouring Sophie tea until he realized she was planting suggestions instead of asking straight-out. I imagine it went something like this.
Sophie: Thanks, sweetheart.
(six seconds later)
Eliot: *thinks* Oh, Sophie takes sugar, doesn't she? *spoons sugar*
It's not a particularly nice thing to do, but it's not mind control.
Just wanted to say thanks for taking the time to read and answer all these questions! Your insight, patience, and dedication to your craft is impressive and inspiring! I look forward to each "post game" almost as much as I look forward to watching each ep. Keep up the great work, Leverage team!!!
That just blew the last two episodes out of the water. Really well done. I don't care for the more "cutesy" episodes (such as several of the ones that Jonathan Frakes has directed) as much as the more focused and suspenseful pieces.
Thanks for this.
I feel like such an idiot - I'd asked you before if there were going to be more 'Doctor Who' references, but when there was one, it totally didn't register until someone pointed it out to me!
I have a kind of general question - do you have fantasy story lines in your head for certain actors? Like, do you think, 'oh, if I could ever get Bernard Cribbins, I have a good plot for him'. Or any other favourite actor of your choice. (As an aside, I'm personally campaigning for something starring Betty White and Bernard Cribbins, cause...awesome)
SueN. & Emery
Also, it's not a stretch to say that the Leveragites are not ordinary criminals. They are all at the very pointy end of the competence scale; they certainly know that they are the exceptions in the criminal world, not the rule. And that being a criminal is dangerous. Just because they have all managed to thrive in their environment, that doesn't mean most people can even come close to their success. Quietly ushering a bunny out of a wolf pack doesn't mean they don't love being wolves. It just makes them very unusual wolves.
Wow, Nina May, well said!
To put everyone out of their misery as to where the bar is actually located in Portland (no, it is not actually a bar, otherwise you'd have to pry me off a bar stool every week). Fair to say it looks more impressive with the sign up:
Clicky
Good points, all! Thanks for giving me those views to think about!
Blood is thicker than water. And Nate is credited with the position of Mastermind and he's a Chess man, right? While his dad prefers the card game. So, gotta think he knew his move and the next 2 ahead of it. That's any decent chess player's goal. That said...
Why was Sophie so adament that Nate sit this one out? I understand the Dad is blood, but with the history they have and Nate's feeling she had to have known not to ride him about it like that...I just found it odd the whole team was so conscious of it especially with their own family issues. What prompted that response choice?
@Anonymous, I just found it odd the whole team was so conscious of it especially with their own family issues. What prompted that response choice?
I get the feeling it's because they've seen Nate go completely off the rails when things get too personal for him or hit too close to home. They know he's not always good at separating the job from his issues, and they're probably not eager to see him spiral out again. Especially because it usually ends up biting them in the ass.
"3) Do people really ever do the Three Card Monte by switching out the queen? This fit in nicely with the plot (and I loved that you didn’t really reveal the trick), but when I learned this trick the queen was always among the cards on the table, just not where ... "
No less an authority than The Order of the Stick weighs in on this one:
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0428.html
With about 20 minutes to go, I found myself looking at the clock and wondering 'how are they going to wrap this up in an hour?'. Well done.
My questions this time:
1. What was Parker looking for in the van?
2. What DID happen to the ledger? I thought Jimmy had it with him when he walked up to Nate at the docks, but not when he left.
3. How did you choose Tom Skerritt to play Jimmy? Were there others on your short list?
Thanks for all you do to make this an experience for the fans.
3) How is Jimmy going to retire with no money? This job was going to be his last.
It seems to me that most people are forgetting that Jimmie Ford is a ruthless,cruel, and malevolent man. And then some! He was taking care of himself and controlling the town long before Nate came along. His kind will flourish in whatever area they are sent to even if he does get on a boat with no money or clothes. He obviously picks pockets without difficulty so no worries about room and board until he sets up his rulership in whatever town he comes to.
I agree about the 2 mil but I don't see how he could have it in his pockets at the time he had to get on the boat. Anyway, I'm not worried about Jimmie Ford and I believe that's why Nate wasn't worried either and that Sophie said Nate was being "kind".
Jimmy Ford..Jimmy=James.It's in honour of James Dana Hutton=Jim Hutton,Tim dad?
The Nate boy it's very cute,but he have brown eyes.Nathan Ford (TimHutton) have blue eyes.
Skerritt do a great,great job.
@Ross
"The Nate boy it's very cute,but he have brown eyes.Nathan Ford (TimHutton) have blue eyes."
Brown eyed parents can have blue-eyed children. In the very simplest model, blue eyes are a recessive gene that two brown eyed parents can carry and express in 1 in 4 of their kids. What's with that objection coming up again?
(Complex model apparently implies blue eyed parents can have brown eyed kids, but I totally don't understand it enough to talk about it on the internet)
@ita, the problem is that Nate as a young boy had brown eyes and Nate as a grown man has blue eyes. I know that people's hair color sometimes changes as they grow up, but eye color usually stays about the same. ;-)
@Caillie
Contacts!
It seems this season to expand on the growing trend of actors known for playing 'nice guys' roles lately showing up as 'bad guys' on Leverage. Christian and Aldis have both played bad guys on popular 'cult' type shows. (Have the others?) Anyway, is that a draw for some of the actors to guest star - the fact that they play against type? Also, there has been a lot of 'six degrees (or usually less) of separation' between Leverage and some shows that are popular more in the sci-fi/fantasy world (Lost, Supernatural, Buffy, Angel, etc) than the crime/drama type world. Is that more because of the creative teams roots?
It seems this season to expand on the growing trend of actors known for playing 'nice guys' roles lately showing up as 'bad guys' on Leverage. Christian and Aldis have both played bad guys on popular 'cult' type shows. (Have the others?) Anyway, is that a draw for some of the actors to guest star - the fact that they play against type?
Does a bear defecate in the woods?
Ask any actor, all things being equal, they'll jump at a role that expands their range, not only from an artistic viewpoint, but from a financial viewpoint (because now they have something in their reel that SHOWS they can play a certain type).
To throw my two cents into the pot on why Nate tried to shoot but didn't shoot his dad, I think he scared himself. Clearly there's some major bitterness and resentment toward Jimmy, least of all because of how Jimmy treated Nate's mother, and Nate hates him. Not dislikes, HATES. But as much as Nate is relishing in being a bad guy this year, I think he scared himself when he realized that yeah, he could shoot his dad in the face and walk away. Hence his sitting with his face in his shaking hands. Besides, the team will put up with a lot, but Nate flat out murdering his father? I don't think that would go over well. How do you think the team would have reacted had Nate shot Jimmy in the face?
Katie - that's a very interesting read. I think I like that one best, that Nate was so freaked out because after his father said, "I could do it, but you can't," Nate realized that he could. It also makes it more impressive that he was "kind" in the end if he actually was making a choice in the matter and wasn't just driven to it by his nature.
Came up with some new questions -
1) How long has Jimmy been in jail?
2) Were he and his wife divorced?
3) In the flashback, Jimmy says something to the effect of, don't piss me off. I read Jimmy as the kind of guy who was not a serial abuser but who certainly wouldn't blink at smacking his kid when feeling provoked, correct?
4) At the briefing, it's clear that Hardison and Sophie are uncomfortable about having Jimmy as the mark, and Eliot could care less. Parker never really states her affiliation. What's going on in her head there? . . . And don't say "the pros and cons of various bank security systems." ;)
@Katie, that's a great take on Nate! I hadn't even considered that before, but it makes perfect sense. I kept trying to figure out why he would be so shaken. It couldn't be just pulling a gun; we've seen him do that before. We've even seen him shoot Sophie. And he certainly didn't have any great love (or any at all) for dear old Dad. So it couldn't just be, "Oh, my God, I almost shot my father, what was I thinking?"
I very much like the idea that what shook him was the realization that he could have done it, and that, more than he ever wanted to be, he is exactly his father's son. Whuch makes his, "I want to look him in the eyes when I put him down" line even more chilling.
*shivers*
I like it!
Is there still a chance we meet Nate's sister next season? You've been talking about her appearing this season but it obviously didn't pan out.
How come Nate's sister has never been mentioned?
Okay, so I don't know if anyone else noticed this, but Jimmy NEVER ONCE in all the series (Even in the Beantown Bailout flashback) calls Nate 'Nate.' He ALWAYS calls him Nathan. WHY?
@ Katie.
See, I was more thinking that no, Nate couldn't do it. At the same time, thief or no, asshole or no, Nate's the GOOD GUY. If he murdered his father in cold blood, he wouldn't be the good guy anymore.
I think you're right that Nate was horrified by the idea of how easy it would be to shoot his father. But I think that Nate's problem was just that. He thought about how easy it would be to kill Jimmy, and that he was terrified of that side of himself. I also think there's that residual little kid in there, trying to find the red queen to please his dad... Just my thoughts.
Finally got to watch it on the TNT website. (Just to clarify, though we apparently were both cable-less last Sunday, the first Kris who posted and I are different people.)
Ya'll are on a roll over at Leverage HQ. Loving Parker more every episode. And I think I actually sat up straighter when I saw that Eliot and Parker were paired up; they're probably my favorite duo (although I could stand to see more Eliot+Sophie, too). "I hurried! And then I hurried again!" was a great line, and sneaking in a bit of exposition with comedy is always a win.
Much as I love a drawn out, extravagant fight scene, I get just as much of a kick out of seeing Eliot just smash a dude in the balls. I remember arguing with some of my friends about the last fight in GLADIATOR, in which I wished Maximus had given Commodus a groin shot. My friends didn't think this would be very manly, but I figured fuck that, Commodus just stabbed him in the kidney like five minutes ago. But I digress. I don't think the occasional low blow makes a character with established badass cred look less badass; I think it makes him look scarier or at least more effective. Go Eliot.
My question isn't really related to the episode. I assume it's been said before, but Christine Boylan has a GREAT voice for, well, anything. Listening to it on DVD commentaries has convinced me that Ms. Boylan has hidden grifter powers herself. True or false?
Favorite lines of this ep, Hardison to Eliot: "I just located the bad guy, identified him and found out what he wants. And what did you you do with your afternoon?"
Eliot to Hardison: "I know what I'm gonna do. . ."
Was it a conscious decision to make the team's wardrobe all black, gray and white colors (except when Sophie was playing the drunk)until they determined that they were going to take down Jimmy Ford? Nice touch.
no questions, just wanted to say thank you. both for the show itself and for this blog of yours. half the time i don't even realise i had questions until after i've read someone else asking and i immediately hear gir's voice in my head saying "oh yeah..." so thank you for giving us this space, so to speak.
(oh, and ita's use of "value-conscious" had me laughing out loud for real.)
tactoes = what's left over when you've used up your tics?
@Katie: Another question: Nate clearly never liked his father - didn't want to be like him - almost became a priest, then an insurance investigator, etc. Typical "backlash" story. He wouldn't have done that if he respected the guy.
Now in the denouement Nate, even though he couldn't or wouldn't shoot his father, has earned his father's respect. "I'm proud of you, son." Heck, Jimmy even says "maybe you are better than me."
OW!
I mean, given how he feels about Jimmy, is that something Nate really wants to hear?
I just hope Nate considers the source...
...but come to think of it, I'll bet Jimmy said that just to get under Nate's skin. Bastard. Nate is indeed not a nice guy, but at least he's trying to do the right thing. There's a special place in hell for guys like Jimmy.
P.S. How would Nate have felt if one of the families had managed to kill Jimmy in one of those drive-bys? No, Nate wouldn't have actually pulled the trigger, but...
I see I forgot to mention... GREAT episode. (The rolling-eyes thing above? I have seen the light; I was wrn0g.)
Wonderful character development, complex but well-told story - I'm constantly impressed by how much story your team can fit into 43 minutes.
@Zenkitty
Oh, wait. Wasn't there a back door to Nate's apartment used in The Bottle Job? What happened to that?
In the Bottle Job, I thought Tara excused herself to go to the rest room, but then ducked out & through the back hallway. When she got up stairs, she entered Nate’s place through the front door.
I remember Eliot cutting through the wall in Beantown Bailout, but don’t recall anyone saying it was a wall to another apartment or if Eliot had just been in another room in Nate’s place.
@Anony
First, when Jimmy goes into the safe to get the ledger, he says "(Name)"s ledger." I couldn't make out the name -- whose was it?
Thought he said “Artie Van’s” ledger, but I could be totally wrong.
@Tori Angeli
…"geisha" bars. I don't think Eliot was abroad, and the woman certainly wasn't a geisha.
Thought Eliot said he was in Osaka (Japan) & met a Japanese policewoman at a geisha bar.
Dawn/StL-MO
JOHN - just have QUESTIONS on 2 things that happened in this episode:
Noticed when the Russians were scanning the evidence boxes, there was a timer on the leader’s device to let them know how much time remained to get things. After the gate closed & locked the men in, why did the device’s timer go from 01:01:00, to 01:00:00 then to 01:59:00 instead of 00:59:00? Any significance? Did Hardison maneuver that too?
Did Nate call the families to let them know his dad wanted cash for the ledger before or after he held the gun on Jimmy? If before, how did Nate know the families involved without seeing the all the info on the investigation boards in the Organized Crime office? Newspaper?
Thank you again for your help in clarifying all out questions!
Dawn/StL-MO
Was Nate being so damn dense about the real target of the robbery because he was too close to the mark and suffering from flashback trauma (Meaning, was that intentional on the writers' part?)? I actually shouted "It's the Precinct!" at the TV at one point.
Trying to guess which of the earlier episodes in the season are tied to Moreau+Italian Woman storyline. In the Jailhouse Job episode Hardison mentions that Moreau finances the Russian Mafia. Is it possible that whatever was confiscated by the police were somehow part of Moreau's operation with the Russian Mafia? And well, getting those guys arrested probably affects Moreau in some way. Also, Eliot mentions that Moreau moves nuclear materials for Iran. So I would suspect that while Duberman wasn't really connected to Moreau, Manticore going down probably put a hitch in whatever plans Moreau had going on with Iran. Plus we already know that in the Schaharezade job that the envelope ties into the arc. How wrong am I?
After the gate closed & locked the men in, why did the device’s timer go from 01:01:00, to 01:00:00 then to 01:59:00 instead of 00:59:00? Any significance? Did Hardison maneuver that too?
It seemed like Hardison did that just before he revealed himself just to let them know that they got played.
Just saw the episode and had to think about it a while. Man. No wonder Nate is so full of self-loathing. And so hell-bent on self-sabotage. He couldn't let himself be happy with Maggie, he goes out of his way to screw things up with Sophie, and when the crew that started out as hired guns for a one-shot job start to become, however improbably, a family -- he keeps them at arm's length. All those years as a white knight were nowhere near enough to convince Nate that he deserves to be happy. That he is worthy of loving and of being loved. And being a black king? So far, it's not helping a lot. Not that there's much of anything that could wipe out the lessons he learned from Jimmy and his 3-card monte. What his head might tell him is one thing. What his psyche tells him is louder and more persistent, and I doubt that the Scotch is anywhere near enough to drug that hateful, angry, contemptuous voice out of his heart.
Pulling a gun on Dear Old Dad is probably the most therapeutic thing Nate's done for himself in his whole life. Beating Dad at his own game, then putting Dad on a boat for somewhere far far away? Distant second. WAY distant.
Oh, and by the way: Somewhere, sometime in the not too distant past, Dad shoved a gun in Nate's face exactly that way. Count on it. And sometime in his life, Nate looked at his father coming towards him and knew, just knew, that sure as God made little green apples, Dad was going to kill him.
Hmmm. Wonder if that close acquaintance with violence and mortality is the unlikely commonality that Nate and Eliot have between them. They clearly "get" each other. "I don't use guns. You know that."
Sophie, girlfriend -- run. Run like the wind. Or dig in, tie down anything that might get broken, and hang on tight. It's going to be a long and bumpy night.
John et al -- stunning, breathtaking work. Just..... yeah.
-------------- Trilby
Oh, and one other little thing: Top Gun notwithstanding, I find it very depressing indeed to think that I'm the only one reading this fabulous blog who's old enough to remember Tom Skerritt from the original M*A*S*H, which by the way also featured Rene Auberjonois as Father John Mulcahy, 23 years before DS9?
HEY!! John, Dean, guys -- What are the chances y'all can get Rene as a guest star???
----------- Trilby
@Trilby, don't feel bad. I may not remember M*A*S*H well enough to know Tom Skerritt was in it, but I do remember why the theme song is called "Suicide is Painless" and what they did to find out if Hot Lips was a natural blonde. Does that help?
briddie -- THANK you! Now I don't feel quite so alone in my nearly-senior-citizen status. :-)
--------------- Trilby ("You're only young once, but you can be immature forever")
A friend of mine mentioned rewatching Picket Fences and drooling over Tom Skerritt. I directed her to the TNT Leverage site to watch the Three Card Monte Job. Hopefully I've converted her.
Thanks for sharing a nice blog.I really like your post. The picture you have posted here is really very nice. Great post!
I'm watching the TNT marathon and caught something I missed the first time around.
In the first scene with Nate and his father, Jimmy mentions that Nate wasn't there when he got out of prison, and Nate says that it was because he was visiting his mother's grave.
Was Nate's mother's death a result of one of Jimmy's dealings?
I know you said you don't want to nail down the pasts or families of the characters, but that statement stood out there like something we were supposed to pick up.
When they're in the police station installing the alarm sensor, why is Sophie's 'way out' with Parker?
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